Anantnag : Deputy Commissioner (Chairman, District Red Cross Society) Anantnag, SF Hamid, reviewed the implementation, progress, and challenges of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan in the district during a meeting with the concerned officers Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by the CMO, DTO, BMOs, and other officials of the Health Department.
During the meeting, the District Tuberculosis Officer (DTO) briefed the chair about the achievements of the district under TBMBA, including the screening of the vulnerable population and the treatment of TB patients, through a detailed presentation.
While crediting the “Detect-Treat-Prevent-Build” (DTPB) strategy for officially achieving TB-free status for the district, the DC cautioned that the challenge is to prevent any resurgence.
Lauding the success of the Ni-Kshay Mitra initiative, the DC urged citizens to register as volunteers to ensure full coverage of the remaining patients.
On the occasion, the health authorities were directed to conduct door-to-door screenings, especially in vulnerable clusters, using handheld X-ray machines and NAAT-based testing, besides ensuring active case finding (ACF) through ASHA workers and Mid-Level Health Providers (MLHPs) for timely referral to District Tuberculosis Centres (DTCs) and early treatment initiation under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
Calling TB elimination a social task in addition to a medical one, the DC emphasized to make the TBMB Abhiyan a “Jan Andolan” (people’s movement) and create mass awareness for removing the stigma associated with the disease.