
Central team praises NTR district's efforts
On Wednesday, the Central government's TB Division team visited Vijayawada to assess the on-ground implementation of the 'TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' (TB-Free India Campaign) in the district. Their visit included a stop at the APIIC Colony Urban Primary Health Centre, where they reviewed the progress of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan programme. They inquired about public awareness campaigns, disease diagnosis, distribution of free medicines to patients, and details of preventative measures. Subsequently, the teaminspected the CDST-TB Lab at Siddhartha Medical College, expressing satisfaction with the services provided.
District medical officials briefed the central team on the conduct of medical tests, provision of appropriate treatment, and details of nutritional support provided to patients through the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana scheme. They also shared information regarding the distribution of nutritional kits by Ni-kshay Mitras (supporters). Officials explained that they are taking measures to identify TB patients in every village and provide them with improved treatment.
As part of their visit, the Central team interacted with Ni-kshay Mitras. Food kits were distributed to patients receiving treatment, with support from Vasavya Mahila Mandali and Apollo Tyres Healthcare Centre. The team also engaged with TB champions and felicitated them with medals.
Central team members Dr Bhawani Singh Kushwaha, Dr D Dharmarao, and Gangadhar Das, alongside State TB Officer Dr T Ramesh and District Medical and Health Officer Dr M Suhasini, Secretary of Vasavya Mahila Mandali G Rashmi and others participated.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Indian Express
14 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Madhira mimicry artist Lanka Kondaiah honoured for blending folk art with public health awareness
KHAMMAM: Celebrating art with a purpose, a veteran mimicry artist from Madhira wins recognition for blending tradition with public health awareness. Lanka Kondaiah, a renowned folk mimicry artist (also known as Madhira Asha Mitra) and social worker, receives a Best Service Appreciation Certificate on Friday from District Collector Anudeep Durishetty, in the presence of Additional Collector Sreeja and Khammam Municipal Commissioner Abhishek Agasya. The event is administered by Dr Banoth Kalavathibhai. The award acknowledges Kondaiah's unique way of engaging with the community — using folk and mythological art forms to raise awareness in rural and urban areas about long-term and debilitating diseases. He educates the public on TB, AIDS, leprosy, polio, COVID-19, dengue, and malaria through his creative style. The honour comes under the 'Best Services' category, highlighting his contribution to central and state health initiatives. Speaking at the event, Kondaiah expresses gratitude to the District Medical and Health Department, various programme officers, and the PHC Denukur doctors for recognising his service. He says the award brings congratulations from many quarters: distinguished residents and political leaders of Madhira, members of the Arya Vysya community, farmer groups, employee and teacher unions, media friends, health staff, fellow artists, and well-wishers.


The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Maharashtra Health Department integrates TB screening into medical college family adoption programmes
In a bid to tackle the challenge of delays in identifying persons with presumptive Tuberculosis (PwTB), the Maharashtra health department has asked medical colleges to incorporate Active Case Finding (ACF) activities into the Family Adoption Programme (FAP) of medical colleges. Active Case Finding (ACF) is one of the strategies used by the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) to detect missing PwTB. Dr. Sandeep Sangale, Joint Director of Maharashtra State Health Services (TB and Leprosy) department, issued a notice directing colleges and universities to integrate TB screening activities into the FAP, asking that reports of collected data be sent to respective District TB officers for further integration into the NTEP. The move comes after Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College in Maharashtra's Pune and the District TB Unit ran a pilot programme in rural Pune villages, integrating ACF activities, including community screening for TB through door-to-door visits. The team, including Swathi Njarekkattuvalappil, Saibal Adhya, and Sanjivani Patil from Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College and Sanjay Darade from Pune District TB centre, wrote a proposal to the State Health Department for ACF integration. According to the proposal, Maharashtra state has around 80 medical colleges (government and private/deemed) with a yearly intake of an average of 150 students each, with each student allotted 5 households for follow-up over the next 3 years under FAP. With this integration of TB care with FAP, students can screen a cohort of 60,000 households (approximately 2,40,000 individuals) across the state each year and continue their follow-up for at least the next 3 years. 'The pilot programme was about providing hands-on experience to detect presumptive TB in individuals for early-stage treatment. This was more about training MBBS students to ask the right questions and detect symptoms for further diagnosis,' said Ms. Njarekkattuvalappil. The pilot programme was implemented in September last year, with five batches of 30–35 MBBS students each working in four villages, including Bhukum and Ambarwet grampanchayats of Pune's Paud, where active case finding was conducted. At least 959 individuals were screened, with 10 identified as having presumptive TB. The authors selected Paud because it reported 1,057 cases of TB (13% of total notified cases from Pune Rural) in 2022, the second highest among the 14 TUs constituting Pune rural district. Maharashtra is among the leading contributors to the country's TB burden; it reported about 2.34 lakh cases in 2022, about 10% of total notified cases in India. Almost 64% of the symptomatic population in India do not seek healthcare, mainly due to ignoring symptoms and lack of awareness. Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Njarekkattuvalappil said, 'Now that the government has issued a notice for integration, we will be holding meetings next week with medical deans, directors and district medical officers to explain the process and share all important aspects of the study, including the questionnaire.'


Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
RML Hospital becomes first Central govt hospital to achieve NABH full accreditation as per 5th Edition Standards
New Delhi: The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS) & Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first hospital under the Central Government to receive Full Accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) as per the latest 5th Edition Standards . Dr (Prof.) Ashok Kumar, Director, stated, "This full NABH accreditation makes ABVIMS & Dr. RML Hospital the first hospital under the Central Government to achieve this status. He also outlined the journey of quality improvement undertaken so far, ranging from infrastructure upgrades to staff training " He ensures that "patient care and safety meet the highest national standards." Dr Ashok also emphasised his vision regarding the future road map of quality improvement. Dr (Prof.) Vivek Dewan, MS, emphasised the importance of the NABH process in improving patient safety , clinical protocols, and service delivery. He acknowledged that over the past two years, since the initiation of the full accreditation process, every member of the organisation, from frontline staff, security guards, and nursing officers to senior management, has contributed significantly to achieving this recognition. Dr Arti Maria, Dean, expressed that this achievement is only the starting point in the hospital's ongoing journey towards excellence in quality and safety. She pledged that efforts for continuous quality improvement will continue relentlessly to ensure maximum benefits for both patients and hospital staff. Dr (Prof.) Sameek Bhattacharya, Chairman of the Quality & Accreditation Committee, detailed the extensive preparation undertaken. He said, "31 hospital departments developed their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in alignment with NABH standards. Over 150 forms and formats were created to implement quality systems." "Comprehensive training programs were carried out, including Basic Life Support (BLS), Fire Safety, Code Pink (infant abduction response), Code Blue (cardiac arrest), Code Red (fire emergency), Code Yellow, and Code Violet assessors audited 561 standards across 36 departments and 15 clinical buildings," he said. "Staff across all levels were evaluated for knowledge and were required to demonstrate practical drills to prove the effectiveness of the training," he added. Dr Parul Goyel, Nodal Officer for Quality & Accreditation, stressed that this was a genuine on-ground transformation. She highlighted the active contribution of Nodal Officers from each department, Heads of Departments (HODs), nursing officers, doctors, resident doctors, and even non-clinical teams such as security guards, ambulance services, procurement and stores, pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology. She recounted real-life examples where trained staff successfully handled a Code Pink situation and multiple Code Blues, saving lives through the systems and drills developed for accreditation. She also noted that the quality culture has now become ingrained among all staff, ensuring sustainability.