Lok Bhagidari essential to eliminate TB from country: Mansukh Mandaviya

NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday called upon "Lok Bhagidari" (people’s participation) in eliminating Tuberculosis from the country and said that it can go a long way to make India TB-free.

“Lok Bhagidari, people’s participation, is a very essential activity to eliminate the burden of Tuberculosis in the country. I exhort people to come forward to become Nikshay Mitras, as it can go a long way to make India TB-free,” Mandaviya said.

He was speaking while chairing the first day of the two-day Swasthya Chintan Shivir, being held in Uttarakhand's Dehradun. According to the Ministry of Health, the Union Minister said that the country’s approach toward TB elimination shows the Indian approach to healthcare. He further requested states to make TB elimination a priority, and give it further impetus. He also urged States to support the divyang population of the country, by making it easier to issue disability certificates.

Mandaviya stressed the need to ensure comprehensive and saturation coverage of all health schemes so that no eligible beneficiary is left behind, and hoped that the Chintan Shivir would provide suggestions on how to shore up existing healthcare facilities, as well as new interventions required across the country, the ministry said. Talking about the Swasthya Chintan Shivir, Mandaviya said that it should help bring us closer to the idea of last-mile connectivity in health.

“In the last two days, we have seen a detailed overview of the health sector in India today, and the direction that we should take going forward to ensure universal health coverage,” he added. Dr VK Paul, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog said that a holistic paradigm for healthcare has been created in the last two days with inputs from all present.

“It is essential that the resolution that we pass today is put into action, so the goals that have been set can be achieved by next year,” he said. On the last day of this two-day event, sessions were held on various facets of healthcare in India today ranging from Ayushman Bhava, National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, Elimination of Measles and Rubella and PCPNDT Act.

On day one of this two-day event, sessions were held on various verticals under Ayushman Bharat, including Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), Health and Wellness Centres, and Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission(PM-ABHIM).

The national conclave proved to be a platform for sharing best practices, as well as learning across states in healthcare in India today. The deliberations focused on the implementation of PM-JAY, and the ABDM, and the gaps that need to be filled, with respect to diverse local conditions across states, and provisions for digital health literacy in the country