Government working towards making Puducherry TB-free by 2030: Rangasamy

Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Thursday said the Health department was working towards making the Union Territory tuberculosis-free by 2030.

Inaugurating the national conclave and policy dialogue on ‘Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing using Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing for Tuberculosis’ at Jipmer, the Chief Minister said the Union Territory was making steady progress in bringing down TB cases. 

The TB incidence has declined significantly between 2015 and 2021 in the Union Territory. Out of the 148 villages in Puducherry, 36 villages have already achieved TB-free status with sustained efforts being undertaken to cover more villages in the coming years. The Puducherry government was working in tandem with the Centre for the eradication of TB from the country, he said.

“Achieving TB elimination will contribute significantly to the broader national objective of building a developed nation by 2047. Jipmer is playing an important role in the public healthcare sector,” the Chief Minister said.

Jipmer Director Vir Singh Negi, in his address, said Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing was an important step towards ensuring that every person diagnosed with TB was assessed for drug resistance. Early identification of resistance could support appropriate treatment decisions and help reduce treatment failure and further transmission, he added.

Policy Resilience Foundation founder Nandish R. Pethani highlighted India’s progress in the fight against tuberculosis while drawing attention to the continuing challenge of drug-resistant TB.

While emphasising that drug resistant TB requires particular attention because delays in testing, identification of resistance, treatment initiation and patient follow-up could have serious consequences, he stressed the importance of strengthening Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing.