Several MLAs of Assam participated in a roundtable meeting in Dibrugarh in eastern part of the state on July 26, to discuss TB elimination in the state.

The meeting was organised by the Resource Group for Advocacy and Education for Community Health (REACH), in association with the State TB Cell, a release from REACH said on July 26. Speaking at the meeting, Jogen Mohan, MLA from Mahmara, said “Awareness about TB is important for legislators, government representatives and the community and I am committed to extend all support to fight TB.”

He assured of helping TB-affected patients in his constituency with medical and monitory support. Chakradhar Gogoi, MLA from Moran, expressed his commitment to working towards TB elimination in his constituency and said, “I am keen to fight TB with all of the stakeholders present in the meeting today and will continue to take steps required for TB Elimination in my constituency.”

Sanjoy Kishan, MLA from Tinsukia, who was also present at the meeting, has been working with REACH and the State TB Cell to implement an Employer Led Model for TB Care and Prevention in the tea gardens of his constituency. “We will speak with our Chief Minister and appraise him of the grave issue TB poses to the state and country, so that we can take tangible steps together,” he said.
Dr Hitendra Sonowal, DTO Dibrugarh briefed the MLAs about TB in the district and talked about the TB programme’s priorities.

He spoke in detail about the stigma around TB and how it needs to be addressed among the community and TB patients. The roundtable also included TB Survivors and Champions from Tinsukia and Dibrugarh who shared their stories of fighting the disease and the stigma they faced through their struggle.

The roundtable meeting is in continuation of the global World TB Day 2018 theme centred on ‘Leaders for a TB- Free World’ and is the first of its kind in the state. Tea garden workers and migrants are considered priority populations for TB, as outlined in India’s National Strategic Plan. A similar roundtable meeting will be organised in Guwahati in the coming months to galvanise and engage other MLAs from the state on TB and to enlist their support towards fighting the disease.

Smrity Kumar, Project Director, REACH spoke about the potential of MLAs in making TB Elimination a priority. “The primary objective behind our organising this roundtable today is to be able to reach out to honourable members of the legislative assembly and discuss the various aspects of TB and explore tangible ways to work together with the RNTCP machinery in the state for TB elimination. There is a lot that legislators can do together and individually to encourage and scale up innovations for TB Elimination at the district and state level,” she said. According to the India TB Report 2018, Assam notified 40,174 cases of TB in 2017 - 91% from the public sector and the remaining 9% from the private sector.