(Tribune)
The Himachal government has set a target to become the first tuberculosis-free state of the country by 2023 under Mukhyamantri Kshay Rog Nivaran Yojna (MMKRNY).
A Health Department spokesman said as many as 12 continuing medical education (CME) programmes for private practitioners and 12 workshops for chemists have been conducted across the state under the yojana to achieve the target. Around 14,000 patients are diagnosed with TB and put on treatment every year in the state. In 2017, against the target of 14,070, the doctors diagnosed and treated 15,000 new TB patients in government hospitals. Against a target of 2,500, nearly 900 new TB patients were treated in private hospitals in the state. Nearly 550 TB deaths are reported every year in the state due to gap in treatment.
