Health dept in collab with Panchayat dept takes up 6-pronged agenda

Health department in collaboration with the Panchayat and Rural development department has taken up a 6-pronged agenda to ensure “Tuberculosis (TB)

Mukt Panchayat” (TB free Panchayat). A host of initiatives which are essentially aimed to eliminate TB is being included in the Panchayat Development

Plan. The objective of the programme is to empower the Panchayati Raj institutions to assess the magnitude of problems associated with TB.

At the national level, “TB Mukt Panchayat” was launched on March 24 this year on the occasion of World TB Day. In Bengal, a state level convergence meeting

was held recently between the state TB cell officers from the health department and their counterparts from the Panchayat and Rural Development department. The state government

has adopted the 6-pronged agenda under which introductory meetings will be conducted at Gram Panchayats while plans will be chalked out on how to attain “TB Mukt Panchayat” status. It was also decided in the meeting that Gram Panchayats will submit claims to the

district tuberculosis officer through block. District TB teams will verify the claims and certificates will also be issued.

The Health department recently issued an order instructing all the medical

colleges and the chief medical officer of health (CMoHs) Health dept in collab

with Panchayat

dept takes up

6-pronged agendain the districts to conduct screening for tuberculosis among pregnant women and their management. A recent order issued by the Director of Health Services to the principals of the medical colleges and the CMoHs said that the state is committed to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025. “A mother’s well being is intimately linked to that of her children. Women of reproductive age group (15-49) bear a significant burden of TB in India and globally. TB among pregnant women can adversely affect the health of the mother, fetus, neonatal, and their children with a wide spectrum of short and longterm implications. Meanwhile, 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 TBfree and has been awarded a gold category certificate by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Central Government.