NEW DELHI, May 16:
To achieve the goal of eliminating tuberculosis by 2025, the Government will soon launch a programme as part of which people and institutions can adopt blocks, wards, or even an individual patient, and provide nutritional, treatment and vocational support to TB patients.
In a letter to all states and UTs, the Union Health Ministry has urged them to undertake all preparations for the roll-out of the “Community Support to TB Patients” in a mission mode in all districts and blocks, official sources said on Monday.
The initiative is likely to be formally launched in the first week of June, they said.
Under this project, a facilitating mechanism is to be implemented to enable the elected representatives, non-governmental organisations, individuals, institutions (both public and private) and partners to support efforts to end tuberculosis by adopting blocks, urban wards or districts.
The type of assistance that may be provided by the donors to the consented TB patients are nutritional support, additional investigations for the diagnosed TB patient as well as vocational support, an official source explained.
The minimum period of commitment for providing additional support to the TB patient shall be one year, he said.
According to the ‘Guidance Document’ shared by the Centre with the states, all TB patients who are notified and whose treatment outcome is not updated shall be considered as existing TB patients and will be approached for consent for availing community support under the initiative. (PTI)
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