360-degree holistic approach cornerstone of TB elimination in India: Health min Mandaviya

PTI, Mar 25, 2022, 10:23 AM IST

New Delhi: Reiterating India’s commitment to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of the target set by SDG 2030, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said a 360-degree holistic approach is the cornerstone of TB elimination in the country.

At an event to celebrate World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2022, Mandaviya said the society and government need to collaborate their efforts in order to win the fight against the disease. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or civil society organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders need to believe that it is their own duty to work for “TB Mukt Bharat”, he said.

”We are determined and committed to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of eliminating TB by 2025, five years ahead of the target set by Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030. Through the active efforts of all states/UTs and the sustained guidance to the programme by our country’s leadership, the programme has advanced through challenging times,” he stated.

Noting the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the minister said, “For more than two years, we have been facing the global pandemic apart from TB prevalence. Both the diseases are highly contagious, air-borne and severely impact families and communities.

“As we move forward, let us through Jan Andolan and Jan Bhagidari involve various stakeholders and partners in our collative fight against TB, the same way we have collaborated in our fight against COVID-19,” he said.

Mandaviya further suggested that apart from adopting children, “we can go one step further to adopt blocks and districts with the help of local administration there”.

“We have developed a system of identification, treatment and support of patients across the country. New advanced technologies and treatment modalities are coming up which can be used in our fight against TB,” he stated.

Digital facilities like service delivery system, artificial intelligence system, e-pharmacy and telemedicine can be used towards TB eradication, he added.

To achieve the target of eliminating TB by 2025, ICMR’s Standard Treatment Workflows for Management for Extra-pulmonary TB and Paediatric TB (book and mobile application) were released.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, who virtually inaugurated the ‘Step Up to End TB’ event, said a societal approach that brings together people from all backgrounds into a Jan Andolan is needed to achieve the ambitious target of eliminating TB by 2025.

She urged everyone to make efforts towards ensuring adequate nutrition for all, building awareness and addressing any social stigma associated with the disease. She also made a special note about children suffering from the disease and challenges they and their families face, underlining the urgency to end childhood TB.

While sharing her experience of encouraging individuals, government and private organisations, education institutions, NGOs, among others, to adopt children suffering from TB, Patel urged those present at the Summit to also adopt them and make an exemplary contribution in the nation’s committed fight against tuberculosis.

“It is equally important to encourage parents, communities, schools and anganwadis to take the lead to get children screened for TB to enable timely treatment,” the Governor underlined.

Talking about the steps taken by states and Union territories (UTs) to battle the disease, she said, “Our efforts are especially significant as only till last year, we were combating the dual challenges of TB and COVID-19. In fact, conducting bi-directional screening for COVID and TB along with door-to-door home visits by health workers has played a key role in a remarkable increase in notifications.” She highlighted the country’s capacities in terms of a robust network of health representatives on ground, women SHGs, student organisations, and other stakeholders who can be mobilised efficiently to provide welfare to citizens and ensure health for all.

Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, launched ‘Dare to Erode TB’ programme which will be based on Indian data, and formation of a Genome Sequencing Consortium for WSG TB surveillance.

He also highlighted the efforts of the Ministry of Science and Technology in disease biology, drugs discovery and vaccine development to remove the scourge of TB from the country.