Developments and trends in rehabilitation in leprosy

This paper describes the thinking behind new approaches to the rehabilitation needs of people affected by leprosy. Three general principles are identified. First, programmes must be responsive to the broad impact of the disease – physical, psychological, social and economic. Second, for effective rehabilitation the response must be specific to the needs and concerns of each individual. Third, the concerns and priorities of families and communities must influence decision-making. A series of operational principles are discussed and illustrated with case studies from current programmes in contrasting cultural situations