‘Real cause of concern’, chief secretary flags rising TB cases in Jammu
Jammu, March 18 (PTI) Taking note of the high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) and increasing cases of multi-drug resistant TB in Jammu, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo has termed the situation a “real cause of concern”, and stressed the need for a well-structured strategy to effectively tackle the issue.
A total of 4,817 screening camps were held recently across the targeted districts in the region, testing 6,04,701 (93 per cent) vulnerable individuals, with 3,06,364 referred for further screening via X-rays, officials said.
Dulloo, who chaired a meeting to review the progress of the ‘TB Mukt’ campaign launched by the health department, said, “The situation is a real cause of concern. We need a well-structured strategy to tackle the issue effectively.”
Highlighting the achievements of the 100-day TB elimination campaign, officials reported conducting over 29,000 NAAT tests, resulting in the diagnosis of 270 new TB cases this year.
The chief secretary stressed that the success of the campaign should lead to a tangible decline in TB cases on the ground.
He also sought details of the criteria to declare panchayats TB-free and urged for proper documentation of the gains made through the 100-day TB elimination campaign.
During the meeting, Dulloo directed the health department to conduct an internal audit to assess the resource requirements based on district-wise incidence of the disease.
He called for deploying additional manpower and medical equipment in the high-burden districts while optimising resources in the low-incidence areas.
To strengthen the fight against TB, the chief secretary underscored the importance of enhancing public awareness about its causes, prevention and cure.
He called for intensified screening and testing, particularly among the vulnerable populations.
Dulloo also reviewed the functioning of the intermediary reference labs (IRLs) in Jammu and Srinagar, seeking details on their diagnostic capabilities and their role in TB detection.
Secretary of health and medical education Syed Abid Rashid Shah briefed the meeting on the constitution of an expert panel of senior pulmonologists to study available data on the disease and analyse infrastructural or other gaps that need addressing for effective management.
He also highlighted the implementation of the directives issued at previous meetings, noting that around 53 lakh awareness messages had been sent to J-K Bank customers.
Shah mentioned that 1,138 screening camps were organised in collaboration with the self-help groups (SHGs) of Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM), benefiting nearly 6,473 beneficiaries.
He also disclosed plans to procure eight handheld X-ray machines through the National Health Mission (NHM), with an additional 100 to be supplied under Capex over the next two years to enhance screening efficiency across health institutions in the Union Territory.
The meeting concluded with plans to fully operationalise the IRL in Jammu after a decade by equipping it with advanced diagnostic equipment such as PCR thermo cyclers, twincubators, and GT blots in the near future.
