The Meghalaya administration, which has launched a ‘jan andolan’ (people’s movement) against Tuberculosis, was honoured on Friday for using the best practices to combat the illness that affects nearly 2.6 million citizens annually in India.
Representatives of the health department received the award for Best Practice in Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization in Tuberculosis control at a national workshop in New Delhi, which focused to eliminate TB infections.
Taking to Twitter, the Meghalaya Chief Minister – Conrad Sangma congratulated the team that led the relentless drive in the state. “Meghalaya was awarded for Best Practice in Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization in Tuberculosis control at the National Workshop on ACSM to end TB in India. Congratulations to the team for their relentless efforts! @mansukhmandviya @MoHFW_INDIA @NHMMeghalaya” he wrote.
Meghalaya was awarded for Best Practice in Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization in Tuberculosis control at the National Workshop on ACSM to end TB in India.
Congratulations to the team for their relentless efforts! @mansukhmandviya @MoHFW_INDIA @NHMMeghalaya pic.twitter.com/EWyFNmL87P
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) December 9, 2022
The State TB Officer – M Mawrie, asserted that “Despite the pandemic affecting service delivery and TB notifications, innovative mitigation strategies were deployed to ensure that notifications returned to pre-pandemic levels.”
Besides, the state registered 4,189 TB cases in 2021 while in the first quarter of 2022, around 1,075 patients have been enrolled for treatment.
PM Narendra Modi aims to eliminate the disease that affects over 26 lakh Indians annually by 2025, five years ahead of WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It is worth noting that a National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination (2017-25) has also been introduced, refocusing the programme’s objectives to encourage greater community involvement.
The TB Mukt Bharat campaign, or ‘Jan Andolan’ aims to enhance awareness, eradicate stigma and generate demand for services throughout the state.
