TB-free initiatives: Centre gives gold category certificate to Alipurduar

alipurduar: Alipurduar district has received special recognition from the Central Health Ministry for its efforts in preventing tuberculosis (TB) disease.

The district has taken significant steps towards becoming TB-free and has been awarded a gold category certificate by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Central Government.

According to the Health department, over the last nine years, the number of TB patients in Alipurduar has decreased by 60 per cent, which is an impressive achievement.

The Central Ministry surveyed the entire district, as directed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and found that Alipurduar has outperformed many other districts in the state.

Alipurduar has 67 tea gardens and more than 50 forest villages, making TB prevention a significant challenge. In the past, the number of TB patients in the district was quite high due to the trend of consuming country-made liquor in tea gardens and the lack of health consciousness among some tea workers.

To combat this, District Magistrate Surendra Kumar Meena is leading a district-level committee to prevent TB disease. Meena said: “The district administration and health department are working throughout the year, with the block health department providing data on TB patients to the block administration. The department is delivering proper nutritional food to patients as soon as their reports are received.”

Additionally, awareness campaigns are being conducted in remote areas of the district, including tea gardens and forest villages, throughout the year. As a result, the number of deaths from TB has decreased in the district over the last nine years, informed the DM.

TB is a disease that mainly spreads due to a lack of protein in the body. People are not always aware of the need to seek treatment early, which can lead to dangerous outcomes.

Meena expressed satisfaction with the district’s performance and congratulated the health department, officials, and staff associated with the initiative.

However, he also emphasised on the importance of making Alipurduar completely TB-free by 2025.

“Despite being a district dominated by tea gardens and forests, Alipurduar can achieve the goal of becoming TB-free soon,” added Meena.