New Indian health minister calls for people’s movement to get rid of tuberculosis
Union health minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that India will get rid of tuberculosis (TB) through a Jan Andolan – a people’s movement.
He said this immediately after chairing a high level meeting to review the status of Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP).
Taking stock of the Tuberculosis Control Program, Dr Harsh Vardhan directed the officials for taking up elimination of TB on a ‘Mission Mode’, which would include all stakeholders to come together for an aggressive strategy for TB free India by 2025.
“Hon. Prime Minister has given a clarion call to make India free of Tuberculosis by 2025, five years earlier than the global target. Let us develop a comprehensive and focussed high profile strategic action plan…”
“Hon. Prime Minister has given a clarion call to make India free of Tuberculosis by 2025, five years earlier than the global target. Let us develop a comprehensive and focussed high profile strategic action plan by bringing together synergies of all systems and available resources across the government and non-government sectors”, he said in the meeting. The global target for eliminating TB is 2030 but India has set its sights on eliminating it five years earlier. The commitment has come directly from prime minister Modi.
The meeting was attended by Preeti Sudan, Secretary, ministry or health, Sanjeeva Kumar, AS (H), Manoj Jhalani, AS & MD and other senior officers of the Health Ministry.
The minister further suggested that innovative approaches should be adopted to address TB and directed that eliminating TB should be made into a ‘Jan Andolan’.
The Union Health Minister suggested roping in other Ministries, State Governments, MPs, MLAs, NGOs, civil society organisations and media so that sustained efforts are made in combating TB. He further directed the officials to take up new interventions and mount aggressive awareness campaigns so that the whole country is in sync with the ‘TB Harega Desh Jitega’ slogan.
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