After 13 years, Maharashtra hikes grants for Leprosy Hospitals

Mumbai: Private hospitals and rehabilitation centres treating leprosy patients in Maharashtra will now receive a long-awaited increase in government funding, marking the first revision in over a decade.

According to a Government Resolution (GR) issued on August 22, the monthly grant per bed for 13 private hospitals treating leprosy has been tripled—from ₹2,200 to ₹6,600. Similarly, 16 organisations operating rehabilitation homes for patients will now receive ₹6,000 per bed, up from the earlier ₹2,000. The revised grants will come into effect from September 1, as assured by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

This is the first time the grant amount has been revised since 2012, despite years of repeated appeals from voluntary organisations arguing that the existing support was insufficient given the escalating medical and maintenance costs.

Currently, 2,864 beds across 13 private leprosy hospitals are approved for government grants, while 1,975 beds at 16 voluntary rehabilitation centres also receive support. These centres include notable institutions such as the Edulji Framjee Allbless Niramay Niketan in Trombay, Kushtarog Niwaran Samiti in Panvel, and the Solapur Leprosy Hospital, as well as others in Thane, Amravati, Nanded, Chandrapur, Wardha, and several other districts across Maharashtra.

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According to Hindustan Times, “The grant was only ₹480 until 2012, when it was raised to ₹2,200. There are always more patients than sanctioned beds. Even though ₹6,600 per bed is still not huge, it will ease our fundraising burden to some extent. For example, we treat 80 patients, though only a fraction of those beds are covered under grants,” said Uday Thakar, executive committee member of the Kushtarog Nivaran Samiti in Panvel.

The GR specifies that the funds may be used for food, clothing, medicines not supplied by the government, hospital furniture, and administrative costs. Many leprosy care centres traditionally relied on donations or the sale of agricultural produce from their own land to stay afloat.

The increase in grants follows efforts by State Public Health Minister Prakash Abhitkar, who recently set up a high-level committee comprising experts, doctors, and NGOs to strengthen the implementation of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme. This committee is expected to submit quarterly reports to the state government, ensuring continued monitoring and evaluation of the scheme.

Leprosy continues to be a public health concern in Maharashtra. In the 2023–24 period, the state recorded 20,001 new cases of leprosy, a slight increase from 15,695 cases in 2015–16. By February 2025, 18,860 cases had already been reported. Experts attribute the higher detection numbers to improved case detection campaigns, which have helped identify endemic clusters of the disease.

However, rising costs and decreasing donations remain a challenge for voluntary organisations involved in leprosy care.

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“It is not easy to get support for leprosy work, and donations are drying up. Case detection numbers are higher partly because awareness and surveillance have expanded. This is good for tracking patients and preventing transmission. But if Maharashtra wants to meet its 2027 eradication goal, the government must sustain and scale up this support,” said Dr Vivek Pai, director of the Bombay Leprosy Project, reports Hindustan Times.