State governments are currently fighting against TB across the country, with Meghalaya in the North East fighting more aggressively than other states. After the success of 100 days of the Prime Minister’s TB Free Campaign, the central government has now announced to continue the fight against TB in the country for 300 days. According to information, the incidence rate of TB in India has decreased by 17.7 percent from 237 per 100,000 population in 2015 to 195 per 100,000 population in 2023. Deaths due to TB have decreased by 22 percent per lakh population in 2023 compared to 28 per lakh population in 2015.

MD of National Health Mission himself recovered from tuberculosis.
Especially if we talk about the state of Meghalaya, a very important initiative has been taken on Nikshay Roshan in the state. The state is not only Nikshay Mitra against it, but it is the only state where 18 kg ration is given to the patients. Secretary and Mission Director (MD) of National Health Mission (NHM) Ramkumar S, who himself recovered from tuberculosis, said that every TB patient and his family is being given 10 kg rice, 3 kg dal, 2 kg rajma and a tray of 30 eggs.

Ramkumar S, who has now turned TB champion from a TB patient,
also shared that he had recovered from TB in childhood. Hence, it is important to create awareness against TB, especially among those who have experienced the disease in the past. Another such example is Shulai, a 32-year-old woman from East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, who lost one of her lungs due to the disease and is now battling its adverse effects. She has now turned TB champion from a TB patient and is not only helping others to fight the disease but is also trying to dispel the social misconceptions associated with it.

Handheld X-ray technology effective against TB
On the other hand, community-based screening and diagnosis and treatment is also serving as a strong tool for TB elimination strategy. Technology like handheld X-ray has been deployed on a large scale. There has also been a tremendous increase in the number of Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) machines in the state, resulting in a dramatic increase in the number of TB patients who can be detected early.

Specialty of Meghalaya’s Laitoir District
Talking about Laitoir district of Meghalaya, the wellness center here is commendable in many ways. This center is mercury free and is also working on snake venom antidote. The most special thing is that a machine is being used for TB screening, which is used in sputum collection in remote areas, through which TB is detected. This device is temperature controlled and where there is no electricity, collection is done through ice, so that TB patients can be detected as soon as possible. Anyway, World TB Day has been celebrated on 24 March, but the central government has further accelerated the campaign of TB free India by extending it for another 300 days.