Greater collaboration needed to end TB: Dr Dias
THE GOAN NETWORK
AGASSAIM
GMC Assistant Professor Dr Amit Dias has emphasised a greater collaboration between policy makers, panchayat members, medical practitioners, teachers and NGOs in spreading awareness on tuberculosis.
Speaking at a function to raise awareness on tuberculosis at the Rural Health and Training Center (RHTC) in Mandur, Dr Dias said tuberculosis affects 40,000 people in India everyday, of which 5,000 get the disease and around 900 die everyday.
“This translates to two people dying every three minutes due to tuberculosis,” said Dr Dias, who is also in-charge of the RHTC at Mandur,
“The greater challenge is that HIV increases the risk of getting TB and we are also noticing a rise in the number of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.”
“The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) is making efforts to prevent this and has recently installed a new machine for the diagnosis of tuberculosis CB-NAAT, a WHO-recommended rapid molecular test for TB and drug-resistant TB at the department of Microbiology at Goa Medical College,” informed Dr Dias.
Though March 24 is observed as World Tuberculosis Day, the programme was brought forward to Wednesday on account of the Holi holiday.
“We can end TB if we get together and fight it. Policy makers, panchayat members, health workers, nurses, doctors, teachers, NGOs and community leaders should take the lead in spreading awareness. There is a need for greater collaboration,” he added.
On the occasion, residents and interns at RHTC Mandur got together to perform a street play ‘Everyone has a role to end TB.’
An advocacy meeting and awareness programme was also held at RHTC Mandur and a short film on tuberculosis was shown to all those who participated in the programme.
Mandur Sarpanch Asha Madkaikar, panch members, members from health NGO Sangath, DOT providers, health workers attended the meeting.
The event was coordinated by Dr Dias, and Dr Shreya Pirankar, faculty at the department of Preventive Medicine at GMC.
