Himachal Pradesh gearing to eradicate Tuberculosis by 2023

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh has set the target to eliminate Tuberculosis (TB) before 2023, while Government of India has kept the target of TB elimination by 2025, thereby making Himachal the first TB free State of country. A New scheme “Mukhya Mantri Kshay Rog Nivarna Yojna”(MMKRNY) has also been launched in the state to achieve the target. About 14,000 TB patients are diagnosed and put on treatment each year in Government Health Institutions of Himachal Pradesh.
According to officials of state government in 2017, against the target of 14070, State diagnosed and put near 15000 new TB patients in the Government Health institutions.Against the target of 2500, near 900 new TB patients were notified from the private sector in the State. There is a gap in notification from private sector in Himachal Pradesh. Nearly 550 TB deaths are reported each year in the Himachal Pradesh, they added.
They said that incomplete, inadequate treatment and different regimens of treatment lead to emergence of Multi Drug Resistant TB (MDR TB) which does not respond to available drugs. This form of TB is difficult to control and the treatment is also costly, they added. There are 450 drug resistant TB cases of treatment as on today; out of which near 300 diagnosed and put on treatment.
Officials said that there is no doubt that if TB patients are diagnosed by quality assured laboratories and treated under DOTS by health care system involving all sectors, state can reduce this new form of TB.
Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has been implemented in Himachal Pradesh in a phased manner. Hamirpur is one of the first pilot districts in India to take up the activity in 1995, followed by Kangra and Mandi in 1998. Entire state was covered in January 2002. Some experts also prescribe TB medicines from the market, which are costly and the patient stop taking drugs in between, they added.
They said that objective of RNTCP objective is to achieve 90 percent notification rate of all cases and to achieve 90 percent success rate for all new and 85 percent for re-treatment cases. Total 17638 patients notified against the target of 16570. Duplicate entry is issue for an over performance. Total 15023 patients registered in 2018 till November 24 this year and notification from Private Sector improved as compared to last year.