The Office of the District Tuberculosis Officer of Ri-Bhoi distributed food baskets to under-treatment TB patients on Thursday at Patharkhmah Community Health Centre.
The aim of such a distribution is to help ensure that the patients being treated for TB have access to nutritional food that will benefit them as they fight against the disease.
On this occasion the food baskets were provided by Dr P Kharnarry, Ri-Bhoi District Medical and Health Officer; Dr A Rynjah, Assistant Programme Officer of the Meghalaya unit of the National TB Elimination Programme; and Dr K Lyngdoh, Medical and Health Officer in charge of Patharkhmah CHC for a period of six months.
Medical Officer of Tuberculosis Control (MOTC) at Umsning, Dr W Chyne said that the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (PMTBMBA) is a new campaign that was launched on September 9 where individuals, organisations, companies, etc can ‘adopt’ TB patients for a minimum of six months in order to provide them with nutritional support, diagnostic support and vocational training.
He also informed about the general signs and symptoms of TB, which include coughing with or without blood for two weeks, fever of any duration, unexplained weight loss and night sweats. Those people with such symptoms should get themselves tested as soon as possible, which is provided free of cost and government health centres.
Dr Chyne also informed that there are more TB patients who need to be adopted by donors.
