Nadda launches 100-day TB elimination campaign
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda launched the nationwide 100-day intensive TB eradication campaign in Panchkula on Saturday. The campaign will be implemented across 347 districts.
The campaign aims to find and treat missing TB patients through intensified detection drives, especially in high-risk groups, and reduce TB deaths significantly.
Health Minister Kumari Arti Singh Rao and Cabinet Minister Anil Vij were also present at the programme.
Nadda said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision of making India TB-free by 2030. He said the rate of spread of TB in India has decreased. “The World Health Organization has praised the reduction in the TB rate in India. TB deaths have decreased by 21.4 percent in the last 10 years”, he pointed-out.
Nadda said the centre government has adopted several new strategies to decentralise and make TB services patient-friendly. “Today TB is detected early, thanks to more than 1.7 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the country. The centre government has significantly increased clinical services by increasing the number of laboratories from 120 in 2014 to 8,293.”
Nikshay assistance of Rs 3,338 crore provided to 1.17 crore TB patients:
Nadda said the Centre has provided Nikshay assistance (monetary assistance for nutritional support) of Rs 3,338 crore to more than 1.17 crore TB patients. We have increased the Nikshay assistance from Rs 500 to Rs 1000 and added energy boosters for their nutritional support.
He also flagged-off 10 Nikshay vehicles for Haryana.
He praised the Haryana government for an increase in the number of medical colleges from 6 in 2014 to 15, increase in number of MBBS seats from 650 in 2014 to 2185 in 2024 among others.
Four-T formula in Haryana: CM Saini
Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini said the state government is working on a formula of four-Ts: Test, Track, Treat and Technology to eliminate Tuberculosis.
He said Haryana government is providing more ultra-modern technology to eliminate TB. “All the existing X-ray centres are being connected with Indian Plasma Research Institute Ahmedabad through AI. Haryana is the second state in the country to implement this technology. Two ultra-modern micro-bacterial culture and DST labs are established in Rohtak and Karnal. We are conducting TB tests in villages, slums, reaching daily wage labourers, kilns and farmers through 59 mobile health vans.”
He said in 2023, there were 579 TB-free Gram panchayats in Haryana. “This year we have set a target to make about 1,800 Gram Panchayats TB-free.
