IMA to play its part in tuberculosis elimination

KOLKATA: Indian Medical Association (IMA) has come forward to be part of government of India’s target to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025. One of the biggest challenge in keeping tract and monitoring TB treatment has been a large number of private practitioners failing to notify cases.
“IMA have over four lakh doctors across the country. We will be actively participating in this initiative to eliminate TB countywide,” said Dr Santanu Sen, IMA national president.
In 2018, in west Bengal 1,00,300 cases of TB was reported.More than 86% of these cases were notified from government health care facilities.
“Only about 14,600 cases were reported by private practitioners,” said Dr BK Saha, state TB officer.
IMA has been mobilising doctors, holding awareness progammes so that doctors from the private health care sector do not fail to notify a single case.
“Due to improper drug regiment and treatment protocol patients are getting in multi drug resistant TB and spreading it to the community as well. I believe IMA can play a big role in eliminating TB as it has a wide network including doctors from the private sectors,” said Dr Ajay Chakraborty, DHS.
While medical practitioners who notify cases of TB are being remunerated, till date 92,266 TB patients in the state have received nutritional support during treatment under Nikshay Poshan Yojana.
Dr Jyotirmoy Pal, IMA state coordinator said IMA has conducted continuous medical education programmes for doctors in 82 places of West Bengal, in the past one and half month, stressing on the need to notify cases of TB.