Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Government of Jharkhand, Arun Kumar Singh has sent letters to all the Deputy Commissioners and the Chief Medical Officers deployed in all districts of the State about fortification of National Tuberculosis Eradication Programme (NTEP).
Singh informed through the letter that NTEP is Government of India programme and according to the Prime Minister's announcement target has to be achieved by early 2025 of Tuberculosis eradication.
“Around 80 per cent cases of has to decrease on the basis of TB case notification, 2015, around 90 per cent cases of death has to be decreased on the basis of TB death notification, 2015, the expenses of treatment of TB affected patients has to be brought to zero,” he stated.
The Additional Chief Secretary further stated that the vacant post in the districts under NTEP should be filled till 2022, there is need to expedite the programme by eradicating all the loopholes according to Programmatic Gap Analysis, to make TB free district and TB free blocks till 2021-2025, constitution of District or Block Task Force at local level and constitution of District or Block Specific Strategic Plan very necessary and at least one meeting of both Task Force should be held till December 31, 2021, monthly review should be held according to attached indicators on district and the State level, the District TB Officer will monitor the programme by visiting the concerned areas and submit the report in the State level review.
“The is need to conduct TB test 15000 in per lakh population, extensive campaign should be done at panchayat level of ‘TB Harega-Desh Jitega’ there should be fortification of all the kinds of test, in all the department, extensive detection campaign should be held at Panchayat level under ‘Saptahik Nichay Diwas’, at least one time in a month detection of TB symptoms should be held through TB Champions, Sewika, Sahiyka and others, TB test should be held for COVID patients by gathering swab in falcon tube of chest symptoms and it is negative then TB test should be held through TruNat or CBNAAT, if X-ray facility is not available in proper quantity in the district then X-ray facility should be provided by signing MoU with available X-RAY private agencies, C and DST lab should be installed as early as possible in RIMS, Ranchi and TB Culture and DST Lab should be started at its earliest in SNNMCH, Dhanbad,” Singh instructed.