Ganjam district tops in anti-TB drive

Berhampur: Ganja has emerged as top district in the State in adoption of tuberculosis (TB) patients under the ‘Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’, the health officials here claimed. The health administration felicitated some of the Ni-kshay Mitra (donors) at a meeting held on Tuesday.

Any individual, institution, non-governmental organisation (NGO), cooperative society, elected representative, political party and partner can become Ni-kshay Mitra (donor).They can adopt blocks, districts or even an individual TB patient, and provide nutritional and treatment support to the patients, the officials said.

As many as 540 individuals and organisations in Ganjam district have adopted all 3,779 TB patients under the scheme and the district stood first in the State in adopting TB patients, the district TB officer, Abani Kumar Patra, said.The scheme aims to eradicate TB in the country and provides free diet/nutrition to such patients.It was launched by the Centre in September 2022.

The meeting was held to felicitate the Ni-kshay Mitra and to create awareness about the scheme to mark the second year of the scheme on the occasion of the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief District Medical Officer, SK Padhy, said. He urged people to come forward and adopt the patients by providing them with nutritional foods. Bideshi Jena, the programme coordinator, saidas a part of the scheme, there won’t be any cash provided to the patients, rather food kits will be provided monthly.A diet worth around Rs 700 to Rs 800 will be given to a single patient. It will include 3 kg cereals and millets, 1.5 kg pulse, 1 kg milk powder and 250 grams of vegetable and cooking oil per month, he said.

Apart from this, if anybody is willing, they can be provided non-vegetarian food as well. One can adopt a patient to provide nutritional food from six months to three years, he added.