Roda-Hans Project Ensures Early Diagnosis of Leprosy and Training

The Roda-Hans Project – Health Truck: Leprosy – is in Belém throughout this week, offering services and training focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of leprosy. Fully equipped, the mobile unit travels through municipalities in Pará with the aim of strengthening primary care, increasing access to treatment, and intensifying active surveillance actions.

The initiative is the result of Technical Cooperation Agreement No. 01/2023, signed between the Health and Environment Surveillance Secretariat (SVSA/MS), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Novartis Biociências S.A., and the Brazilian Society of Dermatology (SBD), with strategic support from the Pará State Health Secretariat (Sespa) and municipal health secretariats.

In Belém, the program began with a theoretical class aimed at higher-level health professionals. Doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists participated in the event, held at the auditorium of the University of the Amazon (Unama BR), gathering around 330 participants. The practical part started on Tuesday (23) and continues until Friday (26), with 60 trained doctors providing services, distributed among the five offices of the truck and an additional office at the Castanheira Health Unit, where the vehicle is parked.

“This mobile approach has proven effective in expanding coverage and raising community awareness. The project aims to ensure not only diagnosis and treatment but also health education and strengthening of primary care, in line with the principles of the SUS: universality, comprehensiveness, and resolutiveness,” highlighted Luiz Augusto, state coordinator of the Leprosy Control Program.

Measuring 18.20 meters in length, the truck has five offices and a laboratory, functioning as a mobile structure for teaching and assistance. The project includes theoretical and practical classes conducted by SBD specialists, such as dermatologists, who share technical knowledge with local professionals.

Since the start of activities on August 18, Roda-Hans has traveled to several municipalities in Pará. By October 2025, the expectation is that the project will reach a total of 10 cities.

Municipalities already visited:
• Conceição do Araguaia: August 18 to 22
• Xinguara: August 25 to 29
• Marabá: September 1 to 5
• Ulianópolis: September 8 to 10
• Paragominas: September 11 and 12
• Mãe do Rio: September 15 to 17
• São Miguel do Guamá: September 18 and 19
• Belém: September 22 to 26

Upcoming visits:
• Marituba: September 29 and 30
• Castanhal: October 1 to 3

Text from Ascom Sespa