Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Samanta Lal Sen affirmed the commitment of the health department to achieve Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's goal of eradicating leprosy by 2030. The Ministry of Health is collaborating with government, non-government, and international organizations to meet this target. During a meeting with Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Dr. Sen highlighted the significant progress Bangladesh has made in reducing leprosy prevalence from 13.6 per 10,000 people in 1991 to 0.18.

Efforts to eradicate leprosy include early detection, proper treatment, patient rehabilitation, capacity building of health workers, and raising social awareness. These initiatives are part of the 5th Health, Population, and Nutrition Sector Program. Dr. Sen expressed gratitude to Sasakawa for his contributions and requested the foundation’s support in building a specialized hospital for leprosy patients in Bangladesh.