Caring for people affected by leprosy: an update from Ming

Yuek Ming Poon [or Ming] is INF’ s Leprosy Nursing Advisor, sent by INF Australia. Over the past year Ming has been busy working to improve coordination, training and systems at Green Pastures Hospital [GPH] and INF’s two other hospitals, to ensure leprosy patients receive the best quality care.

One of Ming’s key roles is working with staff to improve their knowledge and practice of leprosy care. “Nurses receive minimal training on leprosy in college,” says Ming. “I work with staff to empower them so they can care for patients well.” This has involved creating care guidelines, offering training, and organizing other INF staff to provide training.

Ming is currently focusing on improving record- keeping systems at GPH. While this may not sound too exciting, it is essential for staff to provide quality care to patients. Without adequate records, staff might not know whether a patient has visited before, what treatment they have received, or what follow- up is required. It is a challenging task, but she is encouraged by the outcomes of previous work she has done to improve the coordination of care. For example, she has established a practice of holding regular meetings between all nine departments of GPH – such as Physiotherapy, Nursing and Leprosy – to ensure good communication on patients’ progress. Further, the health education program for leprosy patients that Ming initiated – where patients and their families can ask doctors any questions they have – has helped patients feel respected, and has even identified further cases of leprosy.