Malaysian Leprosy Relief Association
The Malaysian Leprosy Relief Association is a national non-governmental organisation in Malaysia which was established in 1959 to support the social and economic welfare of Malaysian citizens affected by leprosy.
Under the Leper Enactment Act of 1926, leprosy patients were kept in compulsory isolation with many of the patients subsequently interned at the Sungai Buloh Leprosarium.
The association was a stakeholder in the transition of Malaysia's public health policy from segregation to community-based reintegration by introducing measures which facilitated the re-training of leprosy patients and ex-patients for their re-entry into society.
History
MALRA was founded in 1959 by Tan Sri T.H. Tan, a prominent journalist and politician who served as the first honorary Secretary-General of the Alliance Party.Tan proposed the formation of a non-governmental organisation to address the socio-economic challenges faced by patients who did not fall within the coverage of the Malaysian government's medical programmes, following a visit to the Sungai Buloh Leprosarium.
The association was established with the support of the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman.
MALRA started by raising funds from the public through national "Flower Day" campaigns to fund the provision of amenities and financial relief to patients across the major leprosaria of Sungai Buloh, Pulau Jerejak and Tampoi.
Tan Sri T.H. Tan's son, Datuk Roger Tan, served as the 4th President of MALRA between 2010-2012, and his grandson - Tan Yi Ming - currently serves as the Executive Secretary General of MALRA.
Logo
MALRA's original logo, which was in use between 1959-2021, featured the imagery of a nurse with a red crescent headdress, the sun and a red flower.In 2021, the logo was refreshed with a new design which combines elements of the old logo with new elements incorporated: a horizontal ribbon was included to represent heritage, tradition and the year of MALRA's establishment whilst the image of the nurse was replaced with a pair of upturned hands.
The images of the sun and flower from the original logo were merged to form a sunflower with a red disk in the middle, retaining the original symbolism from the previous logo.
Role in Leprosy Control
MALRA provides supplementary coverage to patients who are given primary medical treatment by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia, whilst also acting as the primary organisation for social rehabilitation and reintegration of leprosy patients.National Leprosy Control Programme : MALRA collaborated with the Malaysian government on this programme which shifted the treatment of leprosy patients from isolated settlements to decentralized outpatient care in public hospitals. The result of these combined efforts saw Malaysia eliminating leprosy as a public health issue in 1994.Economic Reintegration: MALRA established and managed rubber and palm oil estates, as well as poultry farms, where residents of the leprosaria were employed to create employment opportunities for ex-patients. MALRA also provides financial support to patients who face economic hardship due to hardcore poverty or permanent disability due to leprosy.Advocacy and Education: MALRA supports various initiatives to increase public awareness of the disease as well as alleviating the accompanying social stigma faced by patients and ex-patients through public events, targeted conferences and the sponsorship of publications. MALRA has been an active advocate and supporter of the Ministry of Health, Malaysia's LAKAR programme, which promotes a training, detection, analysis, treatment and referral methodology in approaching leprosy outbreaks.Governance and Structure
MALRA was formed as an association under the purview of the Registrar of Societies, Malaysia.The association is governed by an Executive Committee, members of whom are selected via elections from amongst the association's members.
MALRA operates as a federal association with nine branches across Malaysia covering the following states:
MALRA also actively carries out activities in the state of Perak although it does not presently have a branch in the state.