The main thrust of the programme is to keep these practitioners from diagnosing laduru so that they will refer suspected leprosy patients. Patients who are referred but confirmed to be free of leprosy will be referred back to the Ayurvedic physician. If another illness is diagnosed, the patient will be informed and asked to make a choice between going back to the Ayurvedic practitioner or seeking treatment in the biomedical system. Patients with leprosy will also be asked whether information about their diagnosis should be divulged to the Ayurvedic practitioner. Upon obtaining consent, the PHI makes arrangements to notify the Ayurvedic physician who referred the diagnosis of leprosy.
All referrals are duly acknowledged.
The aim here is to secure ethical standards in the practices of both healing systems. Island-wide awareness programmes for all Ayurvedic practitioners in the country, including those in the troubled northern and eastern provinces, have been planned. The training in such programmes will be imparted jointly by Ayurvedic resource persons and the LECC staff. An initial awareness programme for provincial commissioners of Ayurveda has already been concluded. This will be followed up by training in an Ayurvedic trainers programme.