Journalism of Courage
A national forum for tuberculosis will help raise awareness about this disease.
Intensifying the fight against tuberculosis (TB),which claims 750 lives daily and is one of the leading causes of death in the country,the National Forum on TB was set up recently to raise awareness about the disease. TB kills one Indian every two minutes and India has the highest death toll in the world,accounting for one-fifth of the worlds deaths.
The National Forum on TB will work to raise awareness on the need for improved TB control. The members of the forum will meet during the year to discuss critical challenges in TB control, said Dalbir Singh,Head of Department,All India Congress Committee and convenor of the forum. He pointed that TB is the cause of extensive economic losses leading to individual,family and community suffering. The disease is also associated with a stigma that often leads to discrimination.
The forums launch was supported by Global Health Strategies (GHS),a health organisation which works on TB,cervical cancer and childhood diseases. The launch brought together parliamentarians,policymakers and civil society representatives to discuss the challenges for TB prevention and control. The event also saw the release of a Handbook on TB in India,which is a comprehensive overview of the challenges around TB control in India and the role of policy makers and parliamentarians in this regard.
Singh said,Members will formulate key recommendations to address these challenges which will then be presented to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for further action.
