As the country is moving ahead towards TB elimination, The District TB Office, Ri Bhoi District under the leadership of Dr. E. Kalwing holds a sensitization meeting on Tuberculosis and distributed Food Baskets under the scheme of PRADHAN MANTRI TB MUKT BHARAT ABHIYAN (PMTBMBA) at Civil Hospital, Nongpoh. There are more than 250 patients on Treatment in the District but till date only 77 TB patients have been adopted by “Nikshay Mitra” She also motivated others to do the same and become “mitras”
Dr. E.Kalwing, District TB Officer, Ri Bhoi District highlighted about Tuberculosis and its impact in the community. TB is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and it most often affects the lungs. It affects all part of a human body except nails and hairs. TB is spread through the air when people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit. The common symptoms of TB disease include:
- Prolonged cough of two or more weeks
- Chest pain
- Weakness or fatigue
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Night sweats
She highlighted that the District is conducting various activities to sensitised the public and to pave its ways to eliminate TB which include Active Case Finding (ACF), health camps, counselling to TB communities and families with the support of frontline health workers; collection of quality sputum from identified presumptive TB person for testing; organising a variety of awareness programmes on a regular basis for specific community groups such as school, community, self-help groups, traditional healers, tribal leaders within tribal communities.
Dr E Kalwing, DTO delivered a speech on PMTBMBA, the motive of PMTBMBA which is to engage Community in eliminating TB from the country, and expressed her gratitude towards The Nezone Pipes & structure and NTL steel who present on the occasion. The patients are very lucky to have Donors who are ready to help them with Nutritional food as supplementary nutritional requirements to fight against TB.
As of today, 77 patients on treatment from The District have received the food baskets, which was adopted by Nikshay Mitra and more than 173 are yet to receive Donors.