Through a targeted two-day campaign in Munger, the Illness to Wellness Foundation (ITWF) has stepped up its efforts under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan in partnership with the Central TB Division (CTD) of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India. By supporting the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) with focused community outreach, awareness, and prevention initiatives that are in line with the country’s aim of a TB-free Bharat, the programme strengthens India’s ongoing battle against tuberculosis.

Earlier in September, the government and the Illness to Wellness Foundation launched a combined campaign that included TB screening medical camps in Chirala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tiruvottiyur, Chennai.

Government health officials enthusiastically supported the recently arranged 2-day TB screening camp in Munger, whose presence and direction greatly increased the initiative’s efficacy. Dr Dhruv Kumar Sah, Communicable Disease Officer (CDO), Munger; Dilip Kumar, Senior DOTS-Plus Supervisor (DPS), Munger; Md Rizwan, Senior Treatment Laboratory Supervisor (STLS), Munger; Aditya Raj, District ICTC Supervisor (DIS); Swati Kumari, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Counsellor, ICTC Munger; and Avinash Kumar, Project Coordinator, attended the camp’s opening ceremony.

Their enthusiastic involvement reaffirmed the campaign’s collaborative spirit and demonstrated the government’s ongoing dedication to raising awareness of tuberculosis, prompt diagnosis, and community involvement in the area. Additionally, the goal was to lessen the stigma associated with tuberculosis by promoting candid discussions and empowering people to seek treatment without reluctance or fear.

Anil Rajput, Chairman, Advisory Council, Illness to Wellness Foundation, emphasised the campaign’s importance by saying, “The Foundation’s unwavering dedication to promoting community health and aiding India’s efforts to eradicate tuberculosis is reflected in our partnership under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. The Munger camp is a testament to our heightened collaboration, and programmes such as these are essential to raising awareness, increasing screening, and guaranteeing prompt diagnosis. The high level of community involvement we saw confirms people’s willingness to safeguard their health. At the Illness to Wellness Foundation, we think that consistent outreach, precise testing, and proactive local involvement are essential to creating a future free of tuberculosis, and we look forward to expanding these efforts across the country with more such significant projects.

The program’s main goal is to increase treatment success by helping patients adhere to their recommended routines with the help of committed counselling, prompt follow-ups, and organised monitoring systems. In order to guarantee consistent standards of care and accurate reporting as required by NTEP, it also seeks to strengthen cooperation with communities and important stakeholders, including private healthcare professionals. A crucial element of the programme is the continuous evaluation and review of its operations, which aids in monitoring results, improving tactics, and maintaining alignment with India’s larger TB eradication objectives.

Given Munger’s history of reporting a high number of TB cases, focused measures are essential to bolstering the area’s TB control initiatives. Over the course of the two-day camp, 370 people received TB screening, which allowed for the early detection of possible cases, while 1,225 recipients received TB awareness training. Fourteen of these suspected patients were sent to Sadar Hospital for additional testing. Eleven people also had X-rays and sputum CBNAAT tests, which are essential for quickly and accurately confirming tuberculosis. Early disease detection, prompt treatment, and a lower risk of community spread are all made possible by these diagnostic techniques.