West Khasi Hills was awarded a bronze medal during the Sub National Certification for TB Elimination, it was announced today.
The district received the medal as recognition for its efforts in the fight towards eliminating tuberculosis in the state and nation by 2025. The medals were awarded by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the World TB Summit on March 24 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
West Khasi Hills applied for the sub-national certification in 2022. The initiative marks districts on ‘Progress Towards TB Free Status’ under different categories measured with graded milestones of decline in TB incidence.
As per certification norms, districts that achieved a 20 per cent reduction of TB incidence as compared to 2015 are eligible for a bronze medal, along with a monetary award of Rs 2 lakh.
Those who could achieve 40 per cent, 60 per cent and 80 per cent reduction in TB incidence as compared to 2015 are eligible for silver, gold and TB-free districts awards with correspondingly greater monetary awards.
In order to achieve the goal of a TB-free district, WKH wants to increase its active case finding (ACF), which includes screening and testing of the vulnerable population; scale up and extend the numbers of TRUNAT testing machines in health facilities; engage with various stakeholders and collaborate with other departments for convergence towards TB health prevention and health promotion by engaging self-help groups (SGHs); and scale up Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
Under the latter, any stakeholder, whether as a company, group or individual, are requested to become donors, or Nikshay Mitra, by adopting any number of TB patients throughout their duration of treatment and providing them with monthly food baskets.
As of now, out of 131 patients who are currently on treatment in the district, 65 have consented to receive monthly food baskets but only eight donors have so far come forward to support 11 beneficiaries.
