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Indonesia
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Indonesian leprosy survivor crafts new limbs for shunned villagers

  • Ali Saga’s handcrafted prosthetic limbs have helped other residents of Sitanala village live normal lives
  • Indonesia has the world’s third-highest cases of leprosy, with more than 15,000 cases still active, according to the country’s health ministry

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Former leprosy patient Ali Saga crafts prosthetic legs and hands inside his workshop in Tangerang to help people with disabilities to have access to artificial limbs at affordable prices. Photo: AFP
Agence France-Presse

When Ali Saga visited a clinic in Jakarta four decades ago, he watched as patients and health workers scrambled to get away from him.

“The doctor suddenly shouted at the patients, ‘stand back! this person is a leper!” the 57-year-old said, recalling one of the most devastating moments after his diagnosis in the 1970s.

“They also roughly used a syringe to test my skin and I cried. My skin might not feel anything but my soul was hurt,” the former leprosy patient added, choking back tears.

Ali Saga crafting prosthetic legs and hands inside his workshop in Tangerang. Photo: AFP
Ali Saga crafting prosthetic legs and hands inside his workshop in Tangerang. Photo: AFP

Now he is using his pain to help other residents of a village on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital live a normal life after leprosy with handcrafted prosthetic limbs.

After Brazil and India, Indonesia has the world’s third-highest cases of leprosy – a contagious bacterial disease transmitted by prolonged close contact with untreated cases.

Ahead of World Leprosy Day on Sunday, the health ministry said the country still has over 15,000 active cases, with more than 11,000 new cases recorded last year.

The ancient disease, which causes disabilities and loss of feeling in reddish skin patches, is now diagnosed with a skin biopsy and easily treated with multidrug therapy.

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