‘Unified efforts needed to eradicate TB by ’25’
2 min readPATNA: State health minister Mangal Pandey on Thursday said Bihar would make great progress in fighting tuberculosis (TB) with unified efforts of the corporate world, medical personnel, NGOs and the society at large.
Speaking at the launch of a communication campaign on TB christened ‘TB Call to Action’, Pandey said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the vision to eliminate TB in India by 2025. It is our responsibility to work towards achieving the vision in the next 7 years and 10 months.”
Stressing on emotional and social support for people suffering from TB, he pointed out, “The stigma associated with the disease affects everyone. We must stop isolating people with TB as they need emotional and social support during treatment to ensure regular and complete therapy.”
According to the minister, if a disease like polio can be eliminated, TB can also be eradicated by spreading awareness among the masses.
As part of the campaign initiated by Resource Group for Education and Advocacy for Community Health (REACH), an NGO, at least eight short videos and five audio clips were launched by Pandey at the programme. The video and audio clips covered several important aspects of TB, including general awareness, myths and stigma, responsibilities of private practitioners and precautions.
State TB ambassador and actor Rajesh Kumar said, “I am committed to raising awareness at the community level to dispel myths and misconceptions related to TB. It is the responsibility of public figures to engage themselves in such campaigns.”
The programme was jointly conducted by REACH in association with the state TB cell. Some TB champions also came forward and shared their experiences and called upon people not to hide the disease as it may aggravate the condition of the patient.
Courtesy: TNN
