Kohima: Nagaland faces a massive gap in TB patient care. Officials reported that only 1,327 local Ni-kshay Mitras are helping 4,053 sick patients. Only 21 percent of active patients currently receive the nutritional support they need to survive.
Anoop Khinchi, Commissioner and Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, signaled a need for change during a June 25 meeting at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat. He intends to ask the Chief Minister to pull in elected representatives for the cause. The state also plans to approach Oil India Limited to fund nutritional baskets through corporate social responsibility programs.
"All should be on board," Khinchi stated. He underscored the need to speed up the fight against the disease.
The Ni-kshay Mitra scheme asks donors to cover monthly food costs at 1,000 rupees per patient. Commitments run from six months to three years. The health department recently tasked the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland with finding more corporate partners to adopt 1,862 patients.
Despite the current shortfall, data shows progress. Dr. Akum Jamir noted an 18 percent drop in deaths and a 19 percent fall in TB cases between 2015 and 2023. Officials also cited the TB Mukt Panchayat initiative, which claims 214 villages have reached TB-free status. Teams have run 505 screening camps across the state, reaching over 30,000 people.
The Forum now plans to push for more community involvement and stricter screening for high-risk groups. They aim to clear the stigma surrounding the disease while pushing for better welfare access.
Comments