We have heard the Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s unwavering dedication to ending TB
in India. We are prepared to take the initiative and speak for the Global South in the coordinated fight against TB. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, made this claim in his speech to the 36th Board Meeting of the Stop TB Partnership, which was held in this location today. Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, joined him.
Dr. Mandaviya addressed the crowd and said, “India has selected three major health goals under the G20 Presidency. All of these relate to our strategy for TB elimination and are centred on universal health coverage. He continued that exceptional work is being done on the ground “through innovation in case finding, mathematical modelling, digital interventions, and monitoring.” He said that India would be pleased to offer technical assistance to other nations so they could adopt similar good practices.
Dr. Mandaviya noted that efforts are being made to recover from Covid and introduce novel tactics, such as the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, which has grown to be a movement that is unmatched in the entire globe. He declared that it is a Call to Action to rally communities to end TB.
The Union Health Minister emphasised TB vaccination’s critical role in the worldwide fight against the illness and requested the Stop TB Partnership Board to consider this and bring it up at the UN High-Level Conference on Universal Health Coverage in September of this year. He stressed the urgent need for TB vaccination. Dr. Mandaviya emphasised the need to expedite its development, increase manufacturing capabilities, and aid nations in gaining simple access.
To completely eradicate TB, Dr. Lucica Ditiu stressed that “India has a key role because India’s success will push the world.” She also commended India for using their Ni-kshay data to “perform sophisticated modelling.” “The entire globe can mimic their discoveries, ideas, and tactics for bringing healthcare closer to people,” she said.
The Stop TB Partnership Board welcomed the TB burden estimate India prepared using local data. The occasion also saw the release of the “Accountability Report of TB-affected Communities & Civil Society: Priorities to Bridge the Fatal Gap.”
Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia; Mr. Austin Arinze Obiefuna, Vice-Chair, Stop TB Partnership, Dr. Ashok Babu, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, Dr. Rajendra Joshi, Deputy Director General, Central TB Division, Health Ministry, Dr. Rao, Assistant Director General, Central TB Division, Health Ministry, and other senior officials were also present.
