Chandigarh, June 19:A high-level review meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Governor of Punjab, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, to assess the implementation of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) and the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (PMTBMBA) in the state. The meeting was attended by Mr. Vivek Pratap Singh, Principal Secretary to Hon’ble Governor, senior health officials, including Shri Ghanshyam Thori, IAS, Mission Director, NHM Punjab, and Dr. Rajesh Bhaskar, State TB Officer, Punjab.

During the meeting, the Hon’ble Governor emphasized the need to ensure that all TB patients who have given their consent for adoption receive timely nutritional and medical support. He also highlighted the importance of recognising and honouring dedicated Nikshay Mitras at Raj Bhavan to acknowledge their contributions and encourage wider participation in the initiative. Reaffirming his personal commitment to the cause, the Governor expressed his willingness to adopt additional TB patients from various districts of Punjab.

The review included an assessment of the state’s performance on key NTEP indicators such as the Presumptive TB Examination Rate (PTER), TB notifications, treatment success rate, and the level of participation in the Nikshay Mitra initiative. The Governor also made a strong appeal to all Deputy Commissioners across Punjab to accelerate the adoption of TB patients in their respective districts and to actively monitor the implementation of the Nikshay Mitra initiative. He noted with concern that approximately 11,000 patients in the state are still awaiting support and stressed the need to address this gap on priority.

In conclusion, the Governor directed that the progress of both NTEP and the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan be reviewed regularly to ensure effective implementation and outcome-oriented efforts. The meeting reinforced Punjab’s firm resolve to eliminate tuberculosis and called for coordinated efforts at all levels of governance to ensure that no TB patient is left behind.

Present in the meeting included MR. VIVEK PRATAP SINGH Principal Sect. to Hon’ble Governor , MR. GHANSHYAM. THORI M.D. NHM & SPL. SECT. HEALTH and DR. RAJESH BHASKAR , State TB Officer Pb.