Varanasi: Executive Director of Stop TB, Dr Lucica Ditiu on Friday said that India is on the road to ending TB by 2025 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during 'One World TB Summit’ at Rudrakash Convention Centre here.

She said the summit is taking place in one of the oldest cities in the world – Varanasi – to discuss a thousand-year-old disease in the world, that is, tuberculosis or TB. She said that India has a very high burden of TB but with the best plan, ambition and great implementation of activities. She also underlined the global welfare embrace of India’s G-20 Presidency and explained the importance of the theme - One World One Health.

She said due to the efforts of countries like India, the number of people who are not getting diagnosis and treatment for TB has gone below 3 million for the first time in history. She praised India’s scale in tackling TB and the TB Free India initiative and expressed the belief that India will end TB by 2025 with India’s support. She also informed about the UN high-level meeting on TB taking place on 22nd September during the UN General Assembly in New York.

Prime Minister Modi expressed confidence that Kashi will usher new energy towards global resolutions in the fight against a disease like TB and highlighted that as a country, the reflection of India’s ideology can be seen in the spirit of Vasudev Kutumbakam, that is, the whole world is one family. This ancient ideology, the Prime Minister said, is giving an integrated vision and integrated solutions to the advanced world of today.

“The theme of G20 is a resolution for the shared future of the entire world,” the Prime Minister said. He noted that India is forwarding the vision of ‘One Earth, One Health’ in the world and underlined that it is realizing the resolutions of global good with the One World TB Summit.

The Prime Minister said that the commitment and determination with which India dedicated itself to tackling TB after 2014 is unprecedented. India’s efforts are important, the Prime Minister said, as this is a new model for the global war on TB.  He elaborated on a multi-pronged approach against TB in the last nine years.

Noting the major challenge of nutrition for TB patients, the Prime Minister highlighted the contributions of Nikshay Mitra Campaign in helping TB patients. He underlined that the government had announced a Direct Benefit Transfer scheme for TB patients in 2018 and as a result, approximately Rs 2000 crore has been directly transferred into their bank accounts for their treatment, where more roughly 75 lakh TB patients have benefitted from this.

Prime Minister Modi mentioned another major resolution of India to eliminate TB by 2025 as against the global target of 2030. Referring to the capacity and health infrastructure enhancement during the pandemic, he underlined the high use of trace, test, track, treat and technology, in the fight against the disease.

He highlighted the campaign against leprosy was given new momentum in 2001 when the people of Gujarat gave him the opportunity and informed that the rate of leprosy in the state  reduced from 23 per cent to less than one per cent. He pointed out that the leprosy hospital was shut down in the year 2007 when he was the then Chief Minister of the state.

The Prime Minister underlined that India is engaged in the campaign to eradicate TB by making use of the nation’s experience, expertise and willpower. He also noted that India is constantly ready to help every country in need. “Our campaign against TB will be successful only with everyone’s efforts. /BI/