M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Dec 12: A workshop on TB was held by the district TB officer Dr Anil Kumar Srivastav for media sensitization in Daltonganj on Monday which focused on TB symptoms and its cure.
Dr Srivastav said a patient can defeat TB if the patient is careful and dutiful in taking medications without any irregularity.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked countrymen and the medical fraternity to fight for the elimination of TB by 2025. And the clock is running fast at a much higher speed.
“The country fought together and eradicated polio and now it is time for our concerted effort to eliminate TB,” said Dr Srivastav.
He said TB continues to be a big challenge as it takes two lives every five minutes in India. 10-15 people on average are vulnerable to latent TB infection if in constant contact with TB-infected patients for long and unguarded.
Dr Srivastav said there are a few parts of the body where TB does not strike. These are hair, nails etc otherwise TB can affect skin, bone, liver, brain and lungs. Malnutrition adds to the problem and hence it is time for affordable benevolent people to adopt TB patients and provide them with food baskets each coming to around Rs 800 as this will help the TB patients fight and win against the disease. The second vulnerability to TB is comorbidity like cancer, HIV positive, organ transplant etc.
District TB officer made a passionate appeal to people to take a pledge in the coming New Year 2023 to offer food baskets to TB patients as this will be a true service to humanity. The basket contains pulse, gram, peanuts, jaggery, mustard oil and Sattu and weighs a maximum of 3 kg to 1 kg or 1.5 kg or 1 litre only.
He said a very common face just a fourth-grade contractual personnel Varun Anand Prasad here has adopted 2 TB patients for food baskets coming to them from his end. This man deserves everyone’s salute.
Palamu MP V D Ram has adopted more than 200 TB patients for food baskets each for 6 months or so. Similarly, he said he has adopted 5 TB patients. Civil surgeon Dr Vijay Kumar Singh and his orthopaedic surgeon son Siddharth and daughter-in-law Dr Shweta Singh dentist have adopted 5 each TB patients for providing food support. Former civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar and dentist Anshuman Sagar have adopted 5 each TB patients for food baskets.
Dr Srivastav said there are over 1600 TB patients who look forward to noble souls offering them food baskets and our media friends here can help us in getting such people for food baskets.
