GUWAHATI: Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya adopted 100 tuberculosis (TB) patients from Kamrup Metro and Nagaon districts under the Nikshay Mitra initiative of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) during a programme held at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.
At the event, the Governor distributed food baskets to five TB patients and felicitated five Ni-kshay Mitras and five TB Champions for their efforts in combating tuberculosis. Governor Acharya emphasized that eliminating TB requires not only medical care but also social and emotional support, describing the adoption as both a personal responsibility and commitment.
He highlighted Assam’s progress in TB control, noting that testing rates have increased from 842 per lakh population in 2022 to 2,915 per lakh population, while treatment success rates have reached 90 per cent. The Governor also acknowledged the integration of AI-based tools such as Prediction of Adverse TB Outcomes (PATO), which are improving early detection and patient outcomes, and noted that the TB mortality rate in the state has declined from 3.1 per cent to 2.4 per cent.
Governor Acharya commended initiatives such as the ‘100-Day TB-Free India Campaign’ and other awareness and support programmes, and stressed the importance of community participation, citing the registration of over 21,600 Ni-kshay Mitras in Assam since the initiative’s launch in September 2022. The event was attended by senior officials from Raj Bhavan, the State Health Department, National Health Mission, and NTEP Assam along with other dignitaries, stated a press release.
Also Read: Assam: Golaghat Health Department Distributes Food Baskets to TB Patients