M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Nov 12: Big influential people in Palamu are not coming forward to don the cap of Ni-kshay Mitra and are ignoring it outright. There are 1,849 TB patients undergoing treatment in Palamu.
Lagatar24.com has learnt from a very well-placed source that a big political leader here has offered to become Ni-kshay Mitra for just one TB patient which means this leader will arrange for the food basket for just 1 patient.
Red Cross Society last week announced to help 18 patients of the Primitive Vulnerable Group having active TB disease and treatment. However, till date, there is no word if it has even got itself registered on the Ni-kshay portal for the same.
Sources said just 4 senior and serving government doctors namely Dr Vijay Kumar Singh, Dr Anil Kumar Srivastav, Dr Anil Kumar and Dr Perween Siddharth of Daltonganj have become Ni-kshay Mitra for providing food baskets to 5 TB patients each.
Sources said businessmen, NGOs, university, colleges and well-off people have completely kept themselves aloof from becoming Nikshay Mitra here.
Lagatar24.com conducted a survey wherein a cross-section of people said they have no idea about it. They talked about T-20 matches but looked unaware of the TB which takes a toll of 2 lives every 5 minutes in India.
Another interesting query is if they become Ni-kshay Mitra and help TB patients with food baskets, what benefit is for them from the government like their wards admission in prestigious schools, facility for treatment in the government or private hospital etc? Many wanted to know if there will be any certificate of service to the community awarded to Nikshay Mitra.
Some suggestions were also offered by the cross-section of people. It includes roping in the income tax officials who can easily persuade many assessees to dole out cash for arranging food baskets for the TB patients.
Sources said there are more than 150 private nursing homes, clinics, and private hospitals in the whole of Palamu district which too can be persuaded to go for becoming Nikshay Mitr for helping TB patients with food baskets.
University officials, college principals, vocational institutions, railways, post offices, Doordarshan Kendra etc can be asked to step out of their ivory towers in the fight against TB said, people.
The state TB officer Dr Ranjit Prasad has shot off a very terse letter to all the district TB officers in the state to expedite Nikshay Mitr and the subsequent adoption of the TB patients for their food basket. lagatar24.com has a copy of this letter.
The state TB officer has reminded the district TB officers of disciplinary action in the event of continued slackness and laxity in this anti-TB work which is a very ambitious drive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have India free of TB in a few years to come from now.
Palamu district TB officer Dr Anil Kumar Srivastav said, “We are approaching big people who matter most but they are either too disinclined or if any inclined, are too miserly about helping TB patients with food baskets.”
“This should be a people’s move but unfortunately it is not so. Every day we hope for a major response but the response to becoming Nikshay Mitr is most disappointing and disheartening,” he added.
Ni-kshay Mitra is to volunteer to adopt TB patients undergoing treatment for their extra food basket containing one kg of pulse, one kg of gram, one kg of peanuts and one litre of mustard oil for a minimum of 6 months. The TB patients can urge the Ni-kshay Mitra to further provide them with any of these 3 also like one kg of milk powder, one kg of Horlicks or one kg of Sattu.
