New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association organized a mass awareness program on World Tuberculosis Day. The association demanded all stakeholders to work together towards eliminating the disease from the country by the year 2025. The program was simultaneously conducted in all the 1,750 branches of IMA across the country. IMA National President, Dr Santanu Sen, mentioned that making the public aware by means of such events would help in eliminating TB from the country.

The aim of the program is to increase awareness about the disease among the public and the ways to control the instances and related mortality and morbidity by 2025. The slogan for the event, inaugurated by Dr Sen, was IMA ka naara, TB se Chutkara. Several balloons were released into the air to mark the 137th World TB Day. The event included a Nukkad Natak (street play), based on the theme ‘tuberculosis’.

IMA National President said that training sessions will be given to various NGOs over the next few days. Over 500 students, NGO workers and healthcare workers will be participating.

IMA Finance Secretary, Dr Ramesh Datta, said that recent WHO statistics suggest that India leads the list of drug-sensitive and multi-drug resistance TB. Another key issue is the negligence of TB among women, which is under-reported, he added.

He further stated that more than 3.2 million women are suffering from TB and the mortality rate is high. There is a need to work as a team to develop strategies to address the barriers in the management of the disease, particularly its notification, he said.

Former Honorary Secretary General of IMA, Dr Narendra Saini, said that the mortality rate last year came down by 3 per cent, and that the IMA is committed to attain the target of 80 per cent reduction in mortality by 2025. (PTI)