Dr Uma Shankar
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi said India has emerged as a role model for the world in its efforts to eliminate TB. Over the last nine years, public participation through initiatives like ‘Nikshay Mitra’ has played a very important role in the fight against tuberculosis and India hoped to be free from the deadly disease by 2025, he said on the World TB Day on March 24.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister also launched the TB-Mukt Panchayat initiative and a new shorter regimen for TB preventive therapy to raise awareness about TB and prevent the spread of the disease.
Comprehensive vision
Addressing the ‘One World TB Summit’ in Varanasi, PM Modi told an international gathering that India was leading the world in the fight against the dreaded disease. He stated that India’s ideology of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam’ is providing the world with a comprehensive vision and solutions.
“India’s image reflects in its ideology of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam’ (one world one family). This old thought is giving modern world an integrated vision and solutions,” PM Modi said. As G20 President, India chose the theme of ‘One Family, One World, One Future’ based on such beliefs. The Prime Minister asserted that the thought and approach with which India worked against tuberculosis after 2014 is “incredible”. He wanted the whole world to know about this effort by India because it was a new model in the global fight against TB.
Fight on many fronts
“In nine years, India has united in this fight against TB on many fronts such as public participation, special campaigns for nutrition, new strategies for treatment, intensive use of technology and promoting good health though campaigns like Khelo India and Yoga,” he said. Another major resolution of India is to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025 as against the global target of 2030, PM Modi said. Referring to the capacity and health infrastructure enhancement during the Covid-19 pandemic, PM Modi underlined the high use of trace, test, track, treat and technology in the fight against the disease. There is massive global potential in this local approach of India, he said. Noting that 80 per cent of tuberculosis medicines are made in India, he said, “I would like that more and more countries get the benefit of all such campaigns, innovations and modern technology of India.”
Ni-kshay Mitra campaign
PM Modi said the country launched a unique campaign to fight the disease. The Government had called upon the people of the country to make ‘Ni-kshay Mitra’ to join the campaign of TB-free India. “After the campaign, 10 lakh TB patients have been adopted by the common citizens. You would be surprised to know that in our country even 10-12 year old children are taking forward the fight against TB by becoming Ni-kshay Mitra,” he said.
“There are many such children who broke their piggy banks and adopted TB patients. The financial support of these Ni-kshay friends for TB patients has reached above one thousand crore rupees,” he said, adding that Indians living abroad have also become a part of this effort. The Prime Minister said since 2018, about Rs 2,000 crore has been sent directly to the bank accounts of tuberculosis patients and about 75 lakh patients have benefited from it.
“It is difficult to get new results by following the old approach. Started working on a new strategy to ensure that no TB patient is left out of treatment. For testing TB patients, the number of labs has been increased and special plans are made for those where TB patients are more,” he said.
States, UTs awarded
The Prime Minister said it is a matter of pride that the summit is being organised in Varanasi, which he represents in the Lok Sabha. No matter the obstacle, Kashi has always proved that new ways are created with ‘Sabka Prayas (everyone’s effort)’, he said while expressing confidence that Kashi will usher new energy towards global resolutions in the fight against a disease like tuberculosis. The Prime Minister also awarded select states, Union Territories and districts for their progress towards ending tuberculosis. The recipients of the awards were Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir at the state and Union Territory levels and the Nilgiris, Pulwama and Anantnag at the district level.
The Prime Minister said the Government was starting a three-month programme for the prevention of tuberculosis instead of a six-month course. He also launched several initiatives, including TB-free panchayats, pan-India rollout of a shorter TB Preventive Treatment (TPT) and a family-centric care model for tuberculosis. Apart from that, the Prime Minister released India’s Annual TB Report for 2023 and laid the foundation stone of the National Centre for Disease Control and High Containment (BSL) Laboratory in Varanasi.
