Our TB burden thrice more than Valley: STO Jammu
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, June 19: Noting the improvements made by the Kashmir division in eradicating Tuberculosis (TB), Bhupinder Kumar, Secretary, Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department, today said that the Government is looking forward to have a TB-free Kashmir Division this year, while noting the challenges faced in achieving the same in the Jammu division due to “various reasons”.
“Budgam has already been declared TB-free, while Bandipora and Baramulla have received the bronze certification. With sustained efforts and a special focus on contact tracing, testing, early detection, and patient management, we can certainly make the entire Kashmir Valley TB-free. We hope to achieve this goal in the current fiscal year,” Secretary Kumar stated.
He made these remarks while addressing a gathering at the Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar, during the start of 2-day Zonal Task Force Meeting-2022 of the North Zone under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
The event was attended by various experts, including Dr Ashok Bhardwaj, Chairman, National Task Force (NTF); Dr Surya Kant, Chairman, Zonal Task Force (ZTF); Dr Ravinder Kumar, TB Specialist at the Central Tuberculosis Division (CTD); Dr M. Salim Khan, HOD, Community Medicine; Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, HOD, Pulmonary Medicine; and others.
Acknowledging the achievements in TB elimination, the Secretary further highlighted the challenges faced in the Jammu division compared to Kashmir. “Certain districts, especially Jammu and Kathua, present greater challenges due to their location and economic activities,” he explained.
Despite these challenges, Secretary Kumar commended the progress made in the Jammu division. “Districts like Jammu, Kathua, and Udhampur have received bronze certification. With consistent efforts, the division can become TB-free by the end of 2025, as decided by the Prime Minister,” he added.
He emphasized that J&K is well-positioned to achieve this target ahead of other states and Union Territories. He highlighted the significant increase in testing and surveillance capacity in J&K and stressed the importance of contact tracing and putting contacts on preventive TB regimens while being cautious about cases of multidrug resistance.
Dr Adfar Yaseen, the State Tuberculosis Officer (STO) for Kashmir, highlighted the extensive efforts made in the region towards TB elimination. She mentioned the success achieved through the “Har Ghar Dastak” Campaign and the progress towards making TB-free gram panchayats in Kashmir. She also emphasized the crucial role played by medical colleges in disease management and raising awareness about TB while reducing associated stigma.
Dr Surya Kant, Chairman of the Zonal Task Force (ZTF), praised the work and achievements of the Kashmir division in TB elimination. He mentioned that Srinagar has been a recurring topic of discussion in task force meetings. He further revealed that Prime Minister Modi, during a recent summit in Varanasi, also commended the efforts of J&K in TB elimination.
Dr Poonam Mahajan, the STO for Jammu commended the historic achievement of making three districts in Kashmir TB-free. She noted that the Jammu division has made significant strides in reducing the burden of TB, which is almost three times higher than that of Kashmir.
“We have improved our presumptive TB testing, surpassing the target assigned to us with a 42% increase in 2022 compared to 2021. While achieving TB-free districts may seem like a distant dream, we have started with smaller units, such as TB-free panchayats and other localised initiatives,” Dr Mahajan stated.
She also mentioned that the Jammu Division’s TB-Mukt Abhiyan initiative received recognition and appreciation during a national review meeting in September 2022 while highlighting the initiatives such as TB Mukt Nari Niketans, TB Mukt Sudhar Grahas, Orphanages, Brink Kilns, and more recently, TB Mukt Madrasas started in Jammu region.
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