Every section of the society should come forward to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) from the society.
At a programme held to mark World TB Day, officials said that the detection of the disease is completely free of cost in the Government hospitals and life saving drugs are disseminated free of cost to patients. With an aim to create awareness among the masses about TB, an awareness rally which was orgainsed by the State TB Control Cell was taken out in Dehradun and was flagged off by the Medical, Health and Family Welfare Director General Dr GS Joshi, who also urged from the students to come forward for creating awareness among the masses focusing the importance of timely detection of the deadly TB.
The rally passed through Clock Tower, Darshan lal Chowk, Tehsil Chowk, Doon Hospital Chowk and culminated at private hotel. While addressing the gathering in the conclave, State TB Control Officer, Dr Anoop Kumar Dimri said that the TB is completely curable and the life saving drugs are disseminated free of cost to the patients. After expressing his concern that around 10 lakh TB patients are living across the country, Dr Dimri said that the State medical, health and family welfare department is committed to the fight against the disease. “A total of 31 TB units and 146 microscopic centres are functioning in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of the state for the detection and providing treatment against the disease to patients,” he said, adding that the success rate is hovering around 85 per cent in the State. Dr Dimri expressed his concern that Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, and Nainital districts of the State are worst sufferers in terms of TB cases and the department has already made concrete plans to curb TB cases in these four districts.
After stressing that TB is completely curable disease, Medical, Health and Family Welfare Director General Dr GS Joshi, said that state health department is committed for providing best medical and health care to residents and special focus has been laid down by the department for providing immediate medical care to those villagers who are living in the mountainous parts of the State. While anchoring the programme, IEC officer Anil Sati said that TB is an infectious disease caused by a Bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is spread through the air by a person suffering from TB. A single patient can infect 10 or more people in a year. He told that Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS) strategy along with the other components of the Stop TB strategy, implemented under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) in India, is a comprehensive package for TB control.
Director (National Program) Dr Prem lal, Additional Director (National Program) Dr Archna Srivastava, Uttarakhand State AIDS Control Society Additional Project Director, Dr Meenakshi Uniyal, Dr Meenu Rawat and State IEC Officer JC Pandey were also present.