Shillong: Meghalaya's minister of health and family welfare A.L. Hek has called for collective responsibility in eradicating tuberculosis (TB) from the state.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion of World TB Day here on Saturday, Hek said the goal to make India TB-free by 2025 is a huge task.
"No single man can end TB; it is a collective responsibility of each and everyone of us. If we are not leaders, how can we expect a TB-free state and society?" he asked.
The programme on the theme "Wanted: Leaders for a TB-Free World" was organised by the Meghalaya State Health Society, Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) in collaboration with the District Health Society, RNTCP East Khasi Hills and Reid Provincial Chest Hospital, Shillong.
Additional chief secretary P.W. Ingty said the message of the World TB Day will spread awareness about the infectious disease.
In India, TB kills around 4.2 lakh people and nearly 27 lakh people acquire it every year. Under the National Health Policy, it has been envisaged to take steps in reducing the incidence of new cases of TB and to eliminate it from the country by 2025.
"This is a very challenging task; we have to plan and work very hard," Ingty said.
He added that the Centre is geared up to combat TB by giving advice to the state governments.
"Recently, we have received advice from the state government to provide sufficient budgetary support for patients. We have to give at least Rs 500 a month per patient in cash or in kind for nutritional support and to reduce out-of-pocket expenditures of patients," Ingty said.
He added that the health department is also looking at private sector engagement where per patient "we are supposed to keep a provision of Rs 1,000 a month and provide incentives, free drugs and diagnostics".
Voicing concern over the stigma attached with TB patients, Ingty calls upon people and especially community leaders to help in eradicating such mindset.
According to him, with the emergence of drug-resistant TB, things have become more complicated.
"Nazareth Hospital, a private sector hospital, however, has been recognised as a testing centre to detect drug-resistant TB and therefore assistance should be given to it," Ingty said.
Earlier, delivering the keynote speech, state tuberculosis officer, Meghalaya, D.G. Nongkynrih, had said in 2017, altogether 27,588 patients were screened out of whom 3,791 were diagnosed with Basic-TB, 252 of multi-drug-resistant TB, 13 cases related to XDR-TB, 53 cases of patients co-infected with TB-HIV and 206 cases of paediatric TB.
Hek flagged off the mobile medical unit and released 79 Android tablets for online recording and reporting. The Social Service Care, Laitumkhrah, Shillong, was felicitated for providing nutritional support to MDR-TB patients.
