Tuberculosis (TB) survivors from different parts of Jharkhand met in Ranchi from January 30 to February 1 to take part in a capacity-building workshop. ‘From TB Survivors to TB Champions, Capacity Building Workshop’, was organized by REACH in partnership with the State TB Cell, Jharkhand, and supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Speaking at the valedictory programme of the workshop, Additional Chief Secretary, Sudhir Tripathy said, “All the participants are a big source of inspiration for TB patients. Personal experiences of those who have been through this disease leaves a very strong and lasting impact on the community.”
Addressing the group, Jitu Charan Ram, MlA, Kanke declared that he had initiated the opening of a Designated Microscopy Center (DMC) in Kalihari district to support the prime minister’s initiative of eliminating TB by 2025.
During the workshop, the participants drafted a charter with a list of issues they requested the government to address. This was handed over to the dignitaries present at the valedictory.
The three-day workshop brought together 14 TB survivors from 10 districts of Jharkhand who shared personal experiences on TB, documented the societal and systemic barriers they faced, and discussed the power of collective community-driven advocacy to change the status quo in TB.
Sharing her experience, Smt Tupeshwari Devi, a TB Champion who participated in the workshop to become an advocate, said, “I will use my learning from the workshop and support more TB patients to spread awareness about the disease.”
Congratulating the TB survivors for overcoming stigma and fear, Dr. Reuben Swamickan, Division Chief (Tuberculosis and Infectious Diseases), USAID said, “It is important to empower the patients and survivors through such initiatives. The learnings from this workshop should be widely used.”
The State TB Officer, Dr Rajkumar Beck, also congratulated the participants for their active participation and said that active engagement of the community is essential for strengthening of the health department. The workshop was inaugurated by MlA Bahragora Kunal Sarangi on January 30. Sarangi encouraged the participants to become TB champions who would go on to represent the country. “TB affects people from all walks of life. Psychological pressure faced due to social stigma is often a barrier to treatment. TB Champions need to be an inspiration and encouragement to other survivors and patients,” he said.
Smrity Kumar, Project Director, REACH, added: “At the core of our work is ensuring that those affected by TB are an integral part of all efforts, extending beyond tokenism.”