As part of the tuberculosis eradication project of the central government, the District TB Officer of Ri-Bhoi held a sensitisation event on the disease and distributed food baskets to patients under treatment in Byrnihat today.
There are more than 300 TB patients in Ri-Bhoi but only 77 have so far been adopted by sponsors, who are dubbed Nikshay Mitras, Dr E Kalwing, the District TB Officer said.
Under the project, sponsors, be they individuals, institutions, companies, etc, can sponsor people undergoing treatment for tuberculosis to help them through the challenging time and ensure that they receive proper nutrition during treatment.
At the event, Dr Kalwing gave a brief introduction to TB, what it is caused by, how it spreads and what the symptoms are.
The district office is conducting various activities to sensitise the public and to pave the way to the elimination of TB through active case finding (ACF), health camps, counselling, proper testing, etc.
Donors present on the occasion were thanked for their generosity. Today, 36 patients from the Byrnihat area were on hand to collect their food baskets, which were donated by Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan, Jirang MLA Sosthenes Sohtun, Pioneer Carbide Pvt Ltd, Shyam Century Ferrour Alloy Pvt Ltd and Maithan Alloy Pvt Ltd.
Byrnihat has many TB patients and “because of the environmental condition”, there is a higher chance to contract TB here, it was informed at the event.
H Decruse, General Manager of the DIC Ri-Bhoi, encouraged more factories and companies to adopt TB patients and be able to fight the disease.
Those interested in supporting TB patients can contact the District TB Office at 8257083790 or email at dtomgrbh@rntcp.org.
