Now, adopt a needy TB patient to end stigma related to disease

Nagpur: A significant number of TB patients are reported annually in Vidarbha. With a view to ensure community support for them, the Union health ministry and the administration have started communicating with corporate houses, semi-government and government departments, NGOs, and public representatives from all 11 districts of Vidarbha to adopt needy TB patients.
Municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B and district collector R Vimala have appealed to people in Nagpur to register for this unique initiative, which aims to end the stigma about TB.
Those interested and eligible can now sponsor nutritional, diagnostic, vocational and additional nutritional supplements to needy TB patients. They can choose the duration of support ranging from one year to three years. The contribution is as low as Rs500 per month.
“India’s target is to end TB by 2025. Proper reporting of the disease is the key to achieve this objective. It can be done only through community support, better treatment and care for TB patients by adopting them,” said city TB officer Dr Shilpa Jichkar.
As per the health ministry’s data, so far 5,900 individuals have notified themselves to adopt TB patients. They can choose to sponsor medicines, nutritional support, or education and counselling for TB patients or their additional diagnostic tests etc.
“TB is a preventable as well as treatable disease. But stigma still remains a big challenge in our society. Secondly, Covid-19 had a major impact on the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). Patients either stopped visiting or couldn’t visit hospitals due to the pandemic and lockdowns. So, we have taken it as a mission to involve community in post-Covid phase,” said a senior official from state TB office.
Pulmonologist Dr Sushant Meshram, head of pulmonary and respiratory medicine at Super Specialty Hospital, said, “People still hide the disease because of the apprehension that their daughter will face difficulty in getting married. This community support initiative is an excellent move to accept TB patients.”
According to him, needy patients will get monitory support which will ensure that they complete treatment course which is must for complete cure of TB.