From once upon a time TB patient to TB survivor to TB champion the National TB elimination programme 2. 0 has changed the very concept of TB. India sets its eyes to be TB free by 2025.
A total of 41 TB patients were first identified as TB survivors and these were trained to become TB champions!
Dr Anil Kumar Srivastav Palamu district TB officer said "We gave a 3 day training to these 41 TB survivors who were later christened as our TB champions. These TB champions are our messengers who will tell their own locality people having TB to fight it and win it all with free advice and free medicines from the government."
The 3 day training ended on Saturday February 4 only added Srivastav. All these 41 TB champions are of the poor or BPL category people living by earning a day.
One TB champion narrated as to how TB had made his waist thin and thin and his trousers became a great loose one. He said he took anti TB drugs and recovered. Now his loose trousers are tight on his waist which is no longer thin as he has gained weight.
84 TB survivors were identified to be trained to be classified as TB champions but only 41 turned up out of which 5 were women TB champions added Srivastav.
Srivastav narrated that 43 came in fact 43 on the first day of the TB training but 2 of the 43 walked out and went home without telling us anything.
41 TB champions who completed their 3 day training were given certificates of appreciation while this certificate of appreciation was held up for those 2 who gave a slip or miss to this training explained the district TB officer.