Top priority to make Kurnool TB-free district: Collector

Kurnool: District Collector P Ranjith Basha on Monday directed officials to effectively implement the “TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan” campaign and work towards making Kurnool a tuberculosis (TB)-free district.

The Collector unveiled the campaign posters of “TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan” at the Sunayana Auditorium in the Collectorate.

Addressing the gathering, the Collector announced that the campaign will formally commence on June 2. As part of the Intensified TB Screening initiative, individuals belonging to high-risk groups across the district will be identified and screened. Those exhibiting symptoms will be subjected to NAAT or X-ray testing. If TB is diagnosed, prompt medical treatment will be initiated, he stated.

He elaborated that the high-risk population has been classified into seven categories: people above 60 years of age, those with diabetes, hypertension, cancer, individuals who had undergone TB treatment in the past five years, smokers, alcohol consumers, mine and factory workers, prisoners, the homeless, and residents of orphanages and shelters. All these groups will be screened for ten common TB symptoms.

The Collector also emphasized the importance of community involvement through the Nikshay Mitra and Jan-Bhagidari initiatives, appealing to district and mandal-level officials, industrialists, NGOs, corporate bodies, elected representatives, and other willing individuals to register as Nikshay Mitras. These volunteers are expected to provide nutritional support and moral assistance to TB patients, thereby aiding the goal of eradicating TB from society.

He stressed the need to organise TB awareness sessions through local leaders, self-help groups, health committees, and urban/rural institutions to foster widespread community awareness.

Further, he urged active participation from departments such as Panchayati Raj, PD-DRDA, and PD-MEPMA in the national priority initiative and called for coordinated implementation of the campaign.

District Leprosy, AIDS, and TB Officer Dr L Bhaskar, District Medical and Health Officer Dr Shanti Kala, District Malaria Officer Nookaraju, DNMO Dr G Mallikarjuna Reddy, and several TB support staff attended the meeting.