Standards of TB Care in India (STCI) were released at The National Forum on Tuberculosis held in the capital which was presided by the Chief Guest, Dr Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Dalbir Singh, Convener, National Forum on TB. The release was led by Anshu Prakash, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
The STCI has been developed by the Central TB Division (CTD) as a way to engage with the Indian private sector for effective TB prevention and control. The Standards take into account World Health Organization (WHO) and International Standards for TB Care (ISTC) endorsed regimens used across the globe. The Standards will be updated with the latest evidence and practices for TB control in India and disseminated to all private providers.
The members of the forum deliberated upon the increased need to introduce new and more accurate diagnostics for TB to ensure timely and appropriate diagnosis. They also discussed the rise and challenges of drug-resistant TB in India. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Director, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) made a presentation at the meeting on the emergence of drug-resistant TB as well as the challenges of the Indian TB diagnostic landscape.
Singh commented, “The Forum is dedicated to fight TB and as a first vital step, this meeting has brought together key stakeholders including parliamentarians, policymakers, civil society organisations and technical experts, who are committed to the cause. We are resolved to achieve enhanced TB prevention and control in India.”
The Forum was launched on May 8, 2013 with the vision to discuss and highlight critical challenges in TB prevention and control. The launch also saw the release of a Handbook on TB in India. The National Forum on TB is expected to work for raising awareness on the need for improved TB control. The members of the Forum will reportedly meet several times in a year to discuss critical challenges in TB control. Based on these discussions, the members will formulate key recommendations to address these challenges which will then be presented to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) for further action.
EH News Bureau
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