In the last four years as many as 1.5 lakh TB patients have been supported with special food baskets in Maharashtra with the state health department data revealing that over 22k Nikshay Mitras have distributed nutritional food baskets from September 2022 till date.
Nikshay Mitra is a community driven initiative under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan to support TB patients by providing nutritional, diagnostic, and vocational assistance. Individuals, NGOs and corporates can adopt patients for at least six months so that the patients can also adhere to treatment and in the process reduce stigma.
Over a lakh of TB patients are willing to receive special food baskets in Maharashtra as per state health department officials who have taken up a focussed drive as part of the TB free India campaign.
The campaign will be underway till March 31 and Maharashtra health department officials have urged the district and municipal administration to adopt TB patients and provide them with consistent nutritional support.
Under the Tuberculosis Free India Campaign, the state has also called upon CSR partners, industries, and non-governmental organisations to adopt tuberculosis patients and provide them with consistent nutritional support throughout the course of their treatment.
Prakash Abitkar, State health minister at a recent meeting said that tuberculosis is a completely curable disease. “With timely diagnosis, regular treatment, and adequate nutrition, patients can fully recover,” he said while sending out the appeal to support patients undergoing treatment by contributing food grains and nutritional assistance as part of this public welfare initiative.
Overall 37,035 Nikshay Mitras have been registered ever since the initiative was launched in September 2022. A total of 5.13 lakh food baskets have been distributed. The monthly nutritional food basket contains rice, wheat flour, pulses, vegetable oil, whole milk powder and/or eggs, groundnuts or roasted grams and additional items in some cases also include micronutrients, vitamins or vegetables/fruits.
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According to data among districts and municipal corporations in the state, Pune (both municipal corporation and rural areas) tops with the highest number of TB patients being supported in the last four years. Around 11,289 TB patients in Pune have been supported with food baskets of which 6,284 are from areas under the Pune Municipal Corporation.
A total of 5,142 TB patients in the city are on treatment and another 2678 have agreed to avail food baskets. A total of 23,460 food baskets have been distributed in Pune city in the last four years among 9,974 being distributed in the district.
Dr Prashant Bothe, City TB officer ,PMC said that nearly 40 per cent of TB cases (in the country) are primarily linked to malnutrition. To address this the civic administration stepped up its food basket distribution efforts, to help improve patients’ nutritional status.
“Nutritional support along with anti-TB medication has led to an increase in treatment success rate – approximately 94% and contributing to good chances of recovery,” Bothe said. Among the major donors are the National Institute of Naturopathy, Mukul Madhav Foundation, Ammunition Factory, Khadki and several others.
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‘Citizens who experience symptoms of tuberculosis are strongly advised to seek immediate medical attention at the nearest government health facility. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are essential to ensure complete recovery and prevent the spread of the disease,” Dr Bhagwan Pawar, Deputy Director of Health Services (Pune) said.
This national initiative aims to provide nutritional support to registered tuberculosis patients under the Tuberculosis Eradication Program. A proper and balanced diet plays a crucial role during TB treatment, as it strengthens the immune system, improves treatment adherence, and enhances recovery outcomes.
