Senior Correspondent.TOD.Balurghat
South Dinajpur district has launched a grassroots campaign to accelerate efforts to eliminate tuberculosis, deploying 11 teams of ‘My Bharat’ volunteers and National Cadet Corps (NCC) personnel across the district.The teams will work in all eight blocks and three municipalities, focusing on public awareness, identifying people at high risk of tuberculosis and coordinating with health officials to ensure that suspected cases are referred for screening and treatment.
The campaign began on Thursday with a workshop in Balurghat titled “The Importance of Teams in the TB-Free Campaign.” The programme was inaugurated by the district’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Sudip Das.Each team will comprise five NCC cadets, five My Bharat volunteers and one officer. Following training, the teams will conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns and work alongside Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and other frontline health workers when necessary.
The initiative is part of the broader national effort to eliminate tuberculosis in India. The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) seeks to reduce TB transmission, ensure early diagnosis and provide free, quality-assured treatment to patients. Community participation is considered crucial to identifying symptoms early, tackling stigma and ensuring that patients complete their treatment.TB remains a major public health challenge in India, with symptoms including a persistent cough, fever, night sweats, weight loss and fatigue. Early diagnosis and uninterrupted treatment can prevent complications and reduce transmission within communities.
In South Dinajpur, the newly formed teams are expected to strengthen the link between communities and the public health system, particularly in identifying people who may otherwise remain undiagnosed.The campaign’s wider goal is not simply to treat individual patients but to break the chain of transmission and move communities closer to a TB-free future through awareness, early detection, treatment adherence and coordinated public-health action.
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