Problems and needs of women leprosy patients in Bombay and Goa--a preliminary report.

By studying the status of 151 women leprosy patients (24 from a leprosy asylum and 127 attending urban leprosy centres at Goa and Bombay), it was noticed that a sizeable proportion experienced problems in society ascribable to the disease especially at the initial stages of the disease. However, most of them seemed to have managed to settle well in their families as housewives subsequently. Younger women leprosy patients expressed the need for financial assistance for completing their own education and for starting small scale business. The older women were more interested in educating their children.