‘Nikshay mitra’ coming to aid of TB patients

Kanpur: Owners of MK Fuel Center (Petrol Pump) of Azad Nagar on Tuesday adopted as many as 15 patients of tuberculosis in the presence of district TB programme officials and provided them nutritional bags with assurance of emotional support too.District coordinator of the TB programme Rajeev Saxena said public participation was necessary to make the district TB-free. Under the Prime Minister’s TB-free India campaign, voluntary organisations officials too were helping tuberculosis patients as ‘Nikshay Mitra’. The owners of the petrol pump had promised to provide patients perfect diet. Only with the joint efforts of all success could be achieved in making the country TB-free by 2025, said Saxena.Owners of the petrol pump Akash Verma and Gaurav Maheshwari said they were inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state governer Anandi Ben Patel and took the inititative to adopt as many as 15 TB patients. With TB department’s support, they were registered as Nikshay Mitra and they committed to provide nutritional bag and emotional and moral support to the patients.District TB officer A P Mishra said around 5,500 patients had been notified by the public sector since January2023. Around 1,500 of them had been adopted by institutions and individuals. There are around 769 Nikshay Mitra in the district helping patients recover.Saxena said under the Nikshay Mitra scheme, any voluntary organisation, industrial unit or individual, cooperative society, political party, or parliamentarian can take the responsibility of the patients’ nutrition by becoming TB Nikshay Mitra in any state by registering on the portal www.nikshay.in and join this campaign.