Chizokho Vero
Kohima | August 26
Minister for health & family welfare Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu today launched the Global Fund Round 9 Programme in Nagaland for providing universal access to DR TB control services and strengthening civil society initiative involvement in tuberculosis care and control in India.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister asserted that Nagaland has been continuously achieving the National Target of 70% new smear positive case detection (NSP CRD) and 85 % treatment success rate. The state Revised National Control TB Programme have been achieving this target for the last 4 years and in the 2nd quarter (April to June 2010) have achieve 90% Case Detection Rate and 91 % Treatment Success Rate.
Congratulating the RNTCP team, the department, programme officers and all the implementing agencies for such success, he also called upon them to keep motivation and commitment at the optimal level to achieve quality services to the people.
He was optimistic that they are capable of making the state to bring the best performing state in the country.
Through the collaborative effort of the state RNTCP Cell, Emmanuel Hospital Association and Catholic Health Association of India on Global Fund Round 9 Programme in Nagaland, it aims to reach the unreached and inaccessible population, delivery of quality DOTs services, engage communities and community based care providers in 374 districts across 23 states by 2015 to improve TB care and control, especially for marginalized and vulnerable populations including TB/HIV patients. The targeted groups and beneficiaries are; women, men and children population living in poor & backward districts, population living in districts identified as predominantly tribes, population living in urban slums.
In order to achieve this, strategies will include; advocacy communication and social mobilization, sputum collection and transport scheme and adherence scheme.
The minister also noted with concern the increase in drug resistant TB case. He said that he made to understand that 3% in new TB cases and 12-17 % in Re-treatment cases, drug resistance develops.
“We gave to gear ourselves to tackle this menace to decrease morbidity and mortality due to Drug resistant TB through improve access to quality TB care and control services through enhanced civil society participation.
He also expressed his happiness that drugs resistant TB will be started through DOT+ Sites will be available by next year in Nagaland, where resistant TB will be available free of cost.
“We have to engage communities and community –based care providers to improve TB care and control, especially for the marginalized and vulnerable population including TB-HIV patients,” the minister said.
The Minister also stressed on the need to increase public awareness and address programmatic gaps, which will be sensitive to gender and equity, addressing persisting misconception and myths on TB and its treatment and the resulting stigma towards affected persons and families.
Azo said that Nagaland has a strong community structure, which can be a tool in strengthening the services through their participation and support, and hoped that the collaborative venture as launched today will work towards this end.
He assured that under the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio “there is no dearth of political and administrative commitment in our battle with TB or for that matter any other disease burden of the state.”
He congratulated the collaborative venture of the state RNTCP Cell, EHA and CHAI in coming forward to enhance services delivery and make special efforts to reach out to the people of the state.
