More than 1.78 lakh tuberculosis patients have been adopted under the Pradhan Mantri TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan campaign, which was launched by President Droupadi Murmu on 9 September.
The campaign is aimed at eliminating the disease five years ahead of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) target of 2030.
The government has rolled out the community support programme under which TB patients can be adopted and cared for by individuals, elected representatives or institutions.
According to official sources, of the total 13,51,550 TB patients, including the multi-drug resistant ones, presently on treatment in the country, 9,04,425 have given their consent to be adopted.
The government will reach out to the remaining TB patients for consent and also encourage the community for adopting them as a part of the campaign.
The government aims to ensure the adoption of all the TB patients who have given their consent by 17 September, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday.
The people and institutions coming forward to take care of the patients are being called ‘Ni-kshay Mitra’. They can adopt blocks, districts or even an individual patient and provide nutritional and treatment support to help them recover.
Uttar Pradesh has seen a maximum number of 4,416 registrations of Ni-kshay Mitras, followed by Madhya Pradesh (2,286) and Maharashtra (643).
The four-pronged support includes nutritional, additional diagnostic, additional nutritional supplements, and vocational support. The donors could be a wide range of stakeholders from elected representatives and political parties to corporates, NGOs, institutions, and individuals.
Under the programme, a monthly food basket comprising three kg of rice, 1.5 kg of pulses, 250 grams of vegetable cooking oil and one kg of milk powder or six litres of milk or one kg of groundnut has been recommended for each tuberculosis patient. Thirty eggs can also be added to the basket, according to an official source.
“In addition to nutritional support, the donor organisation or individual may also provide vocational support, additional diagnostic help or nutritional supplements containing B-complex vitamins, vitamin C and minerals.” the source said.
Explaining the vocational support part, he said presently, 65 to 70 per cent of the TB patients in the country are in the age group of 15 to 45 years.
The minimum period of commitment for providing additional support to a TB patient shall be one year, he said, adding that there are options of a support programme for two and three years.
This is a voluntary initiative, the source added.
The campaign would be an expansion of the Union health ministry’s focus on the eradication of tuberculosis by ramping up community support.
Those interested in participating in the programme can register on the Ni-kshay 2.0 portal – https://communitysupport.nikshay.in/. An e-mail with the contact details of the district TB officer concerned to the Ni-kshay Mitra and vice versa will be sent to facilitate the discussion, planning and implementation of the support committed
“The involvement of the community in supporting the treatment cascade shall help in the reduction of stigma and also lead to increased awareness among the public regarding tuberculosis. The improved nutrition for the TB patients shall result in better treatment outcomes. It will also lead to a reduction of the out-of-pocket expenditure for the families of the TB patients.” an official said.
