President Droupadi Murmu on Friday urged citizens to work collectively towards the elimination of Tuberculosis from the country by 2025 on a war footing, as she virtually launched the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
Lauding the government’s initiative to provide community support to TB patients through the ‘Ni-kshay 2.0’ portal under which TB patients can be adopted and cared for by an individual, elected representatives or institutions, she urged everyone to make the campaign a people’s movement.
”When a welfare scheme is made in the interest of people, its chances of success increase manifold,” she said in her address. Murmu said of all the infectious diseases, the maximum number of people die in India due to tuberculosis and of the total TB patients in the world, more than 25 per cent are in India, calling it a matter of concern. The President also launched the ‘Ni-kshay Mitra’ initiative to ensure additional diagnostic, nutritional, and vocational support to those on TB treatment, and encouraged elected representatives, corporates, NGOs, and individuals to come forward as donors to help the patients complete their journey towards recovery. The Ni-kshay portal will facilitate in providing additional patient support to improve treatment outcomes of TB patients, augmenting community involvement in meeting India’s commitment to end TB by 2025 and leveraging Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) opportunities. Referring to a video shown at the event, Murmu said the video showed how under the active guidance of the UP Governor, the efforts to treat and curb the incidence of TB gained momentum in the most populous state of the country. The Governor has provided a vision towards extending government’s reach and support among TB patients of all ages, she said. Seeking support of the LGs and Lt Governors, she said their guidance in state and union territories will inspire the local administration and health departments in their efforts to eradicate the disease. Besides, NGOs and industrial bodies will also be encouraged. ”I firmly believe that with the involvement of public representation the campaign will gain strength,” she said while highlighting the need to collectively fight the stigma attached to the disease. Speaking on the occasion, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stated that the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan is an extension of the Prime Minister’s citizen-centric policies.
He attributed the success of the TB programme to key indicators such as TB case notifications and consistent efforts that led to monthly notification reporting to reach pre-pandemic levels by end of 2021.
Mandaviya informed that there are roughly 13.5 lakh TB patients registered in the Ni-kshay portal, out of which 8.9 lakh active TB patients have given their consent for adoption. The Ni-kshay digital portal will provide a platform for community support for persons with TB. He urged all citizens, NGOs, corporate houses, elected representatives etc, to support the movement by becoming Ni-kshay Mitras and convene gatherings to discuss the initiative, so no one with TB is left behind.