The Yogi Adityanath government has notified 8,671 tuberculosis patients undergoing treatment in private hospitals during a special week-long campaign conducted in Uttar Pradesh from December 7 to 14.

The state government had set a target of notifying 2,24,300 TB patients in private hospitals this year and by December 6, notifications of 1,95,050 TB patients had been made. Through the campaign, this number has increased to 2,03,721.

Dr Shailendra Bhatnagar, Joint Director (TB) and State TB Control Programme Officer, said that efforts were being made to achieve the target hundred per cent as per the chief minister’s vision.

Dr Bhatnagar said that the entire attention of the Yogi government was on increasing TB screening, conducting prompt tests and initiating prompt treatment of the confirmed TB patients.

In addition to this, under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, a monthly amount of Rs 500 is being transferred to the bank accounts for treatment of patients as well as ensuring proper nutrition, he added.

The notification of TB patients undergoing treatment in private hospitals on Nikshay portal will make it easier for them to avail the benefits of Nikshay Poshan Yojana and connect them with Nikshay Mitras. This makes it possible for TB patients to receive emotional support along with proper nutrition during treatment, which can contribute to their speedy recovery.

It may be mentioned here that Director-General of Medical and Health Services, Dr Deepa Tyagi, had directed all chief medical officers and district tuberculosis officers in the state regarding the special campaign, emphasising the need to increase notifications and ensure that the missed TB patients were notified on the Nikshay portal

During the week-long special campaign, the highest number (829) of notifications were done by private hospitals in Kanpur Nagar, followed by 597 in Lucknow, 551 in Ghaziabad, 519 in Agra and 309 in Mathura.

In these districts, volunteer organisations like Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT) and Doctors For You are also assisting in increasing notifications from private hospitals.

In the year 2023, a target has been set for notification of TB patients by private hospitals for every district in the state. Twelve districts in the state have already surpassed this target. Among these districts, Mathura has exceeded its target of 10,000 by notifying 13,103 TB patients undergoing treatment in private hospitals by December 14.

Bareilly has notified 8,821 such patients against its target of 8,200, Ayodhya has notified 2,783 against its target of 2,400, Meerut has notified 6,644 against its target of 6,300, Bijnor has notified 3,585 against its target of 3,000, Aligarh has notified 6,550 against its target of 6,000, Gorakhpur has notified 6,355 against its target of 5,000 and Ballia has notified 1,907 against its target of 1,800.

Jaunpur district has surpassed its target of 3,700 by notifying 3,947 TB patients undergoing treatment in private hospitals, Pratapgarh has notified 858 against its target of 800, Gautam Buddha Nagar has notified 4,452 against its target of 4,400, and Amethi has notified 517 against its target of 500 such TB patients by December 14.