An tuberculosis patient rests on a bed at a TB hospital in Hyderabad. | AP
HYDERABAD: In heartening news, 83 donors, including NGOs, corporates and individuals, have extended support to 30,915 tuberculosis (TB) patients in the State under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.While most donors offered to provide nutritional aid, some of them have even agreed to give additional nutritional supplements, diagnostics and vocational support to these patients.
With an objective to eradicate TB from the country by 2025, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan on September 9. As a part of this campaign, the government initiated the Ni-kshay Mitra scheme with an appeal to the people to come forward and support the TB patients by providing financial aid for various health facilities for a period of six months to three years.
In the first one week, only 932 patients in the State received the support. However, the campaign received tremendous response, covering all the patients in the following two days.According to the data published on the Central government’s Ni-kshay Mitra portal, among the 83 donors who came forward to support these patients, 67 are individuals and nine are NGOs. Other categories include a co-operative society, a corporate institution, an elected representative and others. Unlike other States, no political party has registered itself as a Ni-kshay Mitra.
People who want to extend their support can register themselves through the Ni-kshay portal https://www.nikshay.in
