Eradicate TB by 2025: Collector to officials

Tirupati: District Collector K Venkata Ramana Reddy directed the officials to take steps to eradicate TB disease in the district by 2025. Addressing the meeting of the District Health and Family Welfare Society (National TB control programme) on Tuesday, he asked the officials to work towards achieving the goal.

The village secretariat wise TB patients' details are to be collected to provide proper treatment for them through chest specialists. With the help of IMA and voluntary organisations, TB control measures have to be taken up. PHC medical officers, health workers and ASHA volunteers should identify the suspected TB patients and tests have to be conducted. He said that the TB Aarogya Sathi app should be downloaded by everyone on their smartphones which provides information about the disease.

District TB control officer Dr C Aruna Sulochana Devi said that the District Health and Family Welfare Society Committee was formed for which the Collector will be the chairman and DM&HO will be the vice-chairman. District TB control officer will be the member secretary while IMA district president, government hospital superintendent, representative of voluntary organisation, specialist private doctor, district extension mass media officer (DEMO) and district information and public relation officer will be the members.

DM&HO Dr U Sreehari, Ruia Hospital superintendent Dr T Bharathi, IMA representative Dr Hema Kumar Reddy, Dr P Krishna Prasanthi, Balakrishna, DIPR officer Balakondaiah, DEMO Dharmendra and others participated.