Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda on Monday said India, which has 2.2 million new cases of TB identified every year, has come a long way in TB control but there was still more ground to cover.
Referring to the high burden of TB in the country, which kills as many as three lakh people a year, Mr. Nadda said fighting TB would require a synergistic approach from stakeholders. “Learning and sharing are a continuous process...a lot has happened and a lot needs to be done, we need to work in the right perspective,” he said in his address at the REACH Lilly MDR-TB Partnership Media Awards here.
He said the treatment protocols and the steps being taken to combat the spread of the disease need intervention and changes. “A healthy nation contributes in a healthy manner,” he said, pushing for interventions that can bring down the disease burden and the spending as well.
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The Minister also presented the awards for excellence in reporting on tuberculosis to four journalists.
Anurag Bhargava, associate professor (Medicine), Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun, who delivered the special address, said there was a need to question why people were still developing TB. He also advocated improvement in India’s primary health care and for tackling problems such as malnutrition and use of alcohol and tobacco. “The wait for a vaccine could be long, we need to take action to prevent it,” he said.
Anshu Prakash, joint secretary in the Ministry also called for advocacy through media and civil society to aid in TB control.
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Instituted in 2010, the REACH Lilly MDR-TB Partnership Media Awards highlight the vital role played by the media in informing the public and decision-makers about TB prevention, control and care. “Through our work with the media, we hope to not only improve the frequency of reporting on TB but also support journalists with the tools and information they need to write on TB-related issues,” said Nalini Krishnan, Director, REACH.