Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday urged the states to make TB elimination a priority.
He also urged them to support the ”divyang” (disabled) population of the country, by making it easier for them to procure disability certificates.
Chairing a ”Swasthya Chintan Shivir” here, Mandaviya stressed the need to ensure comprehensive and saturation coverage of all health schemes so that no eligible beneficiary was left behind, and hoped that the Chintan Shivir would provide suggestions on how to shore up existing healthcare facilities, as well as new interventions required across the country.
On the ”Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan”, he said, “Lok Bhagidari (people’s participation) was a very essential activity to eliminate the burden of Tuberculosis in the country. ‘’Our approach toward TB elimination shows the Indian approach to healthcare.”
He exhorted the people to come forward to become ”Nikshay Mitras” and provide community support to TB patients as this could go a long way in making India TB free.
“The Swasthya Chintan Shivir should help bring us closer to the idea of last mile connectivity in health. In the last two days, we have seen a detailed overview of the health sector in India today, and the direction that we should take going forward to ensure universal health coverage,” he said. The health ministers of several states participated in the event.
Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog said, “A holistic paradigm for healthcare has been created in the last two days with inputs from all present, and it is essential that the resolution that we pass today, is put into action, so the goals that have been set can be achieved by next year.”