Chandigarh, April 22: Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that the Haryana government is determined to make the state TB-free by the year 2025, in order to realize Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi's vision to make India TB-free by 2025. “With the determination that ‘TB will lose and the country will win’, the state government is taking meaningful steps, he said, urging the TB patients to take benefits of free TB testing and treatment services available in government health institutions and spreading awareness about TB.
The Chief Minister was interacting with the TB patients under the Nikshay Yojana through audio-conferencing today. During the interaction, the patients expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for the health facilities and financial assistance being provided by the Central and State Government for the treatment.
Sh. Manohar Lal said that Tuberculosis is not an incurable disease and if treated regularly for the right duration; it is completely cured. He assured all the TB patients that they would not face any problem related to nutrition and treatment. “In this direction, we are also taking the help of various organizations and social workers,” he added.
He also expressed gratitude to President, Smt. Droupadi Murmu for launching the Nikshay Yojana in September, 2022 for the nutrition of TB patients. The Chief Minister called upon various organizations and corporates to adopt TB patients to nurture them. This scheme was also launched in Haryana on September 15, 2022. Under this, nutrition kits are being given to TB patients by adopting them by the Governor, Health Minister and eminent citizens, he added.
The Chief Minister informed that he has also adopted five TB patients under this scheme.
Nutrition kits distributed to 8,000 TB patients in the state so far under Nikshay Yojana
The Chief Minister said that a portal- https://communitysupport.
He said that nutrition kits have so far been distributed to 8,000 patients in the state under the Nikshay Yojana. These nutrition kits include wheat, rice, groundnut edible oil and pulses etc. This initiative has boosted the morale of TB patients and helped them to become free from the disease, he asserted.
The Chief Minister urged the TB patients to contact the District TB Officer in case of help needed for nutritious food. He said that cooperation is being taken from private and corporate hospitals to expand the services of TB treatment. “Many companies have come forward and cooperated extensively in this work. Various corporate companies have adopted 13 districts to make them TB free. Medanta Hospital is conducting an intensive campaign by mobile vans to check TB patients in Yamunanagar and Karnal. In Rewari district too, new TB patients are being screened by a company with the help of mobile van, which has been named as Sankalp Project,” he said.
Various types of assistance including nutritional allowance being given to TB patients
The Chief Minister said that a nutritional allowance of Rs 500 is also being given to TB patients every month during their treatment. So far, about Rs 80 crore has been given directly to the bank accounts of TB patients in the form of nutritional allowance. Including these, Rs 91.39 crore has so far been given to TB patients under various schemes of the National TB Eradication Programme.
Health infrastructure strengthened for TB diagnosis and treatment in state
The Chief Minister said that the state government has made operational about 350 cough test centres, 80 molecular laboratories and two culture laboratories for free TB test. TB units have also been set up at every block for free treatment and TB medicines are being made available at every primary health centre and Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, he added. In the year 2022, 75,730 TB patients were identified in the state, out of which 40,276 patients are still under treatment.
The state government also gives incentives to ASHA workers and other workers for their cooperation in the treatment of TB patients. “So far, about Rs 8 crore has been given to them. Our aim is that TB patients should get treatment close to their home and for this we have also given about Rs 4 crore to private doctors and hospitals for taking care of TB patients,” he added.
Sh. Manohar Lal said that for the eradication of TB by the year 2025, a TB Forum has been created for continuous evaluation and improvement of TB services at the district and block level. Gram Panchayats are also being included in TB elimination activities to increase social participation, he said.
Dr. Naresh Trehan from Medanta Hospital, who joined the Samvad programme virtually; said that under the leadership of the Chief Minister, the hospital is fully cooperating with the government in the effort to make Haryana TB-free. He said that the treatment of TB lasts for six months and no patient should leave this treatment midway and must complete the treatment; only then Haryana as well as the country can be made TB free.
Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Dr. G Anupama, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Director General, Information, Public Relations, Languages and Culture Department, Dr. Amit Agrawal, Director General, Health Services, Dr. Sonia Trikha and other officers were present on the occasion.