Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pankaj Kumar Sharma, who is also chairman of District Health Society Kishtwar, today chaired a review meeting to assess the progress of Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Abhiyan in the District.
During the meeting, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rajinder Kumar presented a brief on the execution of the action plan aimed at eliminating Tuberculosis in the District. The DC emphasized the need for scaling up TB screening, especially focusing on the vulnerable populations for timely intervention.
He also issued strict directions to intensify efforts at the Panchayat level by implementing focused strategies aligned with the six key indicators of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
Further, directions were issued to ensure timely disbursement of benefits under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, to support the nutritional needs of TB patients during the course of their treatment.
Directions were passed to prepare comprehensive Panchayat-level action plans, besides to conduct massive IEC Campaign, including door to door awareness with the involvement of religious leaders, healthcare professionals, sportspersons, prominent citizens, Self-Help Groups and Social organisations to reduce stigma associated with tuberculosis.
Stress was laid on IEC through daily SMS and phone calls to the patients to ensure they do not miss their daily dose of medicine. “Identification of cases based on the 10 common TB symptoms is imperative to achieve TB-free status,” he said.
He further directed to enhance the distribution of nutritional food baskets under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (PMTBMBA) to ensure that all eligible TB patients receive the full spectrum of care and support during their treatment.
District officers & Doctors were directed to adopt two TB patients, besides exhorting the Health Department to ensure that its field functionaries work tirelessly for the success of the programme.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from all stakeholders to work collaboratively and decisively toward the goal of eliminating TB from District Kishtwar.
Meeting was attended by ADC Pawan Kotwal; ACD/CEO KDA Kaiser Bhawani, SDM Chatroo, SDM Marwah, MS District Hospital besides concerned district officers/officials.