Telangana on track to eliminate Tuberculosis by 2025

Hyderabad: Telangana is on track to achieve the goal of eliminating Tuberculosis (TB) by 2025 with health authorities already ensuring three districts – Nizamabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem and Khammam as ‘TB free’ and set to launch aggressive TB diagnostics and treatment services in the coming months. Achieving TB free status is quite a challenge as it […]

Hyderabad: Telangana is on track to achieve the goal of eliminating Tuberculosis (TB) by 2025 with health authorities already ensuring three districts – Nizamabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem and Khammam as ‘TB free’ and set to launch aggressive TB diagnostics and treatment services in the coming months.

Achieving TB free status is quite a challenge as it involves meeting all the milestones of TB elimination programme set by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), and in the process ensure that there is 80 per cent reduction of TB cases in each district.

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“Typically, for a population of 1 lakh, there are 198 individuals who test positive for TB and this figure has to be brought down to 43 by 2025. We are confident of achieving this target,” Joint Director, TB, Telangana, Dr A Rajesham on Tuesday said.

Interacting with press persons here on Tuesday, he acknowledged there was a need to collaborate with private hospitals to fully eliminate TB. As part of these efforts, the programme will collaborate with private practitioners and patients and supply TB drugs to patients for free of cost, in addition to providing a financial incentive of Rs. 500 to the patients by directly depositing the amount into their bank accounts.

The healthcare workers who are directly involved in achieving TB free status in the three districts will receive silver and bronze medals from MOHFW, on the occasion of the upcoming World TB Day on March 24.

“To ensure TB is diagnosed within hours, we have installed CBNAAT machines in all the districts. In fact, there are eight such high-end diagnostic tools in tertiary hospitals in Hyderabad. We have recognised Chest Hospital as an apex TB care centre to exclusively treat patients with multi drug resistant TB and drug resistant TB,” Dr Rajesham said.

The authorities have installed 90 TrueNAAT machines which can detect and confirm TB status in an hour, in the districts and will procure 50 more by next May.

“The idea is to have a multipronged effort involving all the stake holders to achieve elimination of TB in Telangana by 2025. That’s why we are working closely with private hospitals, practitioners, patients and strengthening our TB diagnostic services,” he said.

The TB authorities have roped in nearly 600 individuals who have recovered from TB and they are being trained to become TB champions. “Already, there are 58 trained TB champions who are personally involved in spreading awareness among general public,” Dr Rajesham added.

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