By 2025, Punjab will be TB-free, says minister

Chandigarh, November 9

The government plans to eradicate TB by 2025, Health and Family Welfare Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra said on Wednesday, adding that eight districts had already received bronze category certification and the department had set an aim to get five more in the silver category and three more in the bronze category in the coming year.

The Health Minister said for the year 2022-23, the department has set a target to identify and treat 70,000 patients. He said a workshop was organised at MGSIPA, Chandigarh, as a part of the nationwide efforts by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) to find, test and treat more and more cases by actively collaborating with partners, private sector, patients and communities to measure progress and identify gaps for course correction.

Jouramajra said the department had recently conducted a state-level meeting of about 40 business houses of the state and appealed to them to enrol themselves as Ni-kshay Mitras. He instructed the DTOs to get in touch with them and take this to the next level. He reiterated that the target of TB elimination may seem huge and difficult but with collective efforts it would be achieved.