[Leprosy outpatient clinic in Aichi Prefecture, Japan]

Until the Japanese Leprosy Prevention Law was abolished in 1996, leprosy patients, regardless of their severity, had to be treated by accredited doctors. The majority of them had to be confined in a sanatorium to be treated, since only few hospitals/sanatoria had outpatient clinics for leprosy patients. This de facto confinement limited their occupational, social, financial, and family options, but no clear criteria/guidelines allowing discharge existed. The importance of leprosy outpatient clinics was almost never debated until 1962, when Tofu Association (a foundation established in 1952 to support the confined patients) and the National Suruga Sanatorium planned the opening of the clinic. This clinic looked after total of 4,977 patients until the abolishment of the Law. Since 1996, 349 persons consulted the clinic as of 2010. The importance of the continuation of these clinics is beyond dispute, even in low-endemic countries. However, the diminishing number of patients and demands in this country makes the management difficult. Thus, coordination with the local clinics and dermatologists is inevitable.