The State TB Cell, Government of Assam and KHPT jointly hosted a media roundtable discussion titled ‘Winning the Battle Against TB: Adopting a community-based Approach to Behaviour Change’ in Guwahati. It focused on the need to address barriers to TB treatment and care and a community-based approach, with a way forward. The importance of amplifying the issue and the media’s important role was addressed in a discussion ‘Why Media Is a Critical Partner’ moderated by Dr. Sukriti Chauhan, Advocacy and Programme Lead, KHPT.
Dr. Avijit Basu (Joint Director cum State TB Officer, Department of Health Services, Government of Assam), Dr. Dhrubajyoti Deka (Regional Technical Lead, World Health Organisation), Dr. Rehana Begam (Programme Director, KHPT), Prasenjit Das (State Lead, Breaking the Barriers, Assam, KHPT), Dr. Sukriti Chauhan (Advocacy and Programme Lead, KHPT), community representatives and the members of the media were among the speakers on the occasion.
Earlier this year, the Assam government announced the commendable goal of reducing the tuberculosis infection rate from 217 per lakh in 2015 to 44 per lakh by 2025 under the ongoing National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP). Noteworthy, KHPT works to effectively address public health challenges that impact the most vulnerable and marginalized communities across India.
