Lucknow, Nov 24: A two-day regional workshop for northern India under the TB-Free India campaign began in Lucknow on Monday, bringing together officials, health experts, and Panchayati Raj representatives to strengthen efforts for tuberculosis elimination at the grassroots level.
The workshop has been jointly organised by the Central TB Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and the Uttar Pradesh Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare.
Participation from Northern States
Representatives from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh are participating. The focus of the workshop is to accelerate TB elimination through Panchayats by improving early detection, treatment adherence, and community-led interventions.
ACS Stresses Community Participation
Inaugurating the workshop, Amit Kumar Ghosh, Additional Chief Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare, Uttar Pradesh, said that better coordination and community participation at the Panchayat level is essential to make India TB-free.
He said TB elimination is a priority for the Prime Minister and stressed that collective action is needed to ensure timely identification and complete treatment of patients.
He described the TB-Free Panchayat initiative as a community-driven model that takes the mission of TB elimination to the grassroots level. He also directed officials to strengthen TB testing and preventive treatment across the state.
Central TB Division Highlights Progress
Dr Urvashi B Singh, Deputy Director General, Central TB Division, said active case finding, early detection based on the ten key TB symptoms, and new treatment regimens such as BPaLM for multi-drug resistant TB are showing strong results.
Call for Inter-Departmental Coordination
Dr Sanjay Mattu, Joint Commissioner, Central TB Division, underlined the need for inter-departmental coordination and community involvement for the success of the TB elimination programme.
Role of Gram Panchayats
Vijay Kumar, Director, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, said Gram Panchayats are the frontline units in TB prevention, detection, and treatment. He noted that through the TB-Free Panchayat initiative, Panchayats are conducting case finding, ensuring treatment adherence, monitoring patients, and running awareness campaigns.
UP Government's Commitment
Dr Ratan Pal Singh Suman, Director General, Medical and Health Services, Uttar Pradesh, said the state government is fully committed to TB elimination.
He emphasised the need to spread awareness about the ten key TB symptoms such as persistent cough, fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, night sweats, coughing blood, fatigue, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and lumps in the neck.
High-Risk Groups Identified
State TB Officer Dr Shailendra Bhatnagar said high-risk groups include people above 60 years, undernourished individuals, smokers, alcohol or substance users, people living with TB patients, those who have completed TB treatment, persons with HIV, and residents of old-age homes, construction sites, prisons, and slums.
Technical Sessions and Discussions
Technical sessions during the workshop discussed progress and challenges in TB elimination, implementation of the TB-Free Panchayat model, community leadership, innovations, behaviour change communication, and best practices.
Experiences from Gram Pradhans
Gram Pradhans Amrun Nisha of Lakhimpur Kheri and Amit Pratap Singh of Unnao shared their experiences on raising awareness in villages, encouraging symptomatic individuals to get tested, ensuring timely drug distribution, and coordinating nutritional support with ANMs and ASHAs.
The workshop was attended by senior officials from state TB cells and Panchayati Raj departments of participating states, along with representatives from WHO, IHAT, KHPT, WHP, CFAR, Global Health Strategies, and other partner organisations.