Health Ministry reiterates commitment to TB elimination

25 March 2019 | News

TB champions from states shared their stories of overcoming the stigma of being a TB patient

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare commemorated the World TB Day with a function to mark the occasion, and reiterated the commitment to eliminating TB in the country by 2025.

Preeti Sudan, Health Secretary presided over the function. She stressed on the importance of more sensitive and responsive doctors, paramedics, frontline health workers and community partners, while dealing with TB patients.

The systems of care for TB patients should be patient –centric, and sympathetic to their wellbeing, she emphasised.

She stated that India has been able to free of Polio, Yaws, MNTE due to the sturdy health systems, especially at the primary healthcare levels. She stated that partnerships with all stakeholders hold the key to making India TB-free.

She led the participants of the event to take a pledge to unite together to contribute and support towards making India TB free.

Various presentations made at the event highlighted the key changes introduced in the policy landscape of TB in the country.

India is now closest ever to covering all TB cases with 21.5 lakh new TB patients notified in 2018. With the aim of universal access to free diagnostics and treatment services, path breaking policy changes have been introduced. Universal drug susceptibility testing has been rolled out, shorter and newer treatment regimen has been expanded countrywide. India is moving towards an injection free regimen.

TB champions from states shared their stories of overcoming the stigma of being a TB patient and motivating other patients to undergo the treatment. A special issue on TB of the Indian Journal of Tuberculosis and a toolkit on Patient Provider Support Agency were also unveiled at the function.

Also present at the event were Sanjeeva Kumar, Additional Secretary & Director General (RNTCP & NACP), and senior officers of the Ministry, representatives from WHO and other development partners, community support organisations.

 

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