Kerala has received the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s award for the best tuberculosis elimination activities, a statement issued by Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday said.
The award is for coordinating National TB Elimination Programme’s activities in the private health sector in the best manner and for making the maximum registration of new TB cases from the private sector on the NIKSHAY portal. In 2019, as many as 4,615 new TB patients from the private health sector registered their names on the Nikshay portal, whereas the number rose to 6,542 in 2023. This achievement is what has earned the award for Kerala, the statement said
Kerala has been engaging with the private sector with the aim of eliminating TB by 2025. Anti-tuberculosis activities are being organised at the panchayat level with the help of local bodies to reach the target of TB-free Kerala.
At present, there are 330 STEPS (System for TB Elimination in Private sector) centres . The government is using CSR funds to provide nutrition kits to TB patients and efforts are on to extend this programme to other districts.
