Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar addressed the leadership session of WHO SEAR High-Level Meeting for Renewed TB Response today, which was co-chaired by India.

Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar expressed great pleasure on India being a co-host of this high-level meeting and extended appreciation for Dr Poonam Singh, Regional Director, World Health Organisation SEARO for her leadership in convening this meeting.

The Union Minister of State appreciated the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s commitment and visionary leadership to eliminate TB in India by 2025, five years ahead of the global target.

Highlighting the commitment of India towards eliminating TB, the Union Minister of State said, “Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with support from the entire Government of India and partners are striving towards that commitment. India’s TB Elimination Programme is also addressing all co-morbidities and goes beyond medical interventions to tackle the social determinants of TB while minimizing access barriers to diagnosis and treatment. Through the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, nutritional support is extended to all TB patients for the entire duration of their treatment. The Programme is also rigorously working towards Airborne Infection Control in hospital wards and outpatient waiting areas. The Programme already has the provision of chemoprophylaxis against TB disease in pediatric contacts of TB patients and PLHIV patients. We are in the process of expanding TB preventive treatment for the adult contacts too.”

She further added “Reaching the unreached and reaching them early is a challenge and we have launched ‘TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ as a people’s movement for TB elimination in India. India remains committed to supporting countries in its neighbourhood with possible technical support and assistance.”

 Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar also appreciated the South-East Asia Region (SEAR), which demonstrated the highest-level political commitment towards ending tuberculosis and increase in investments towards ending TB. “This is key for consistent improvement in access to rapid diagnostics and new and safer treatment regimens for TB”, She noted.

At the end, the Union Minister of State thanked national and international partners for their support to this campaign and in efforts to fight TB together.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO, Warren Entsch, MP, Australia; Co-Chair, Asia Pacific TB Caucus, Dr Suman Rijal, Director, WHO, SEARO, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO SEARO

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HFW/MoS WHO SEAR TB Leadership Session/26^thOctober 2021/7