Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.

India Inc helps fight tuberculosis

INDIA ECONOMIC SUMMIT 2006

Image
BS Reporter New Delhi
Last Updated : Feb 14 2013 | 7:42 PM IST
32 member companies of the India Business Alliance have reached out to over 4 million people ravaged by the disease
 
Tackling tuberculosis in India is an achievable goal, judging by the early successes of the world's largest private sector effort to control TB. The India Business Alliance (IBA) was set up in 2004 by the World Economic Forum's Global Health Initiative (GHI) to increase the involvement of the private sector in TB control.
 
Over the past two years, the IBA has reached four million people, proving the success of this model where the private sector acts as a healthcare provider in partnership with the public and NGO sectors to deliver lifesaving information, testing and treatment, said a WEF news release.
 
TB poses a serious threat to India with 1,000 people dying every day from the disease. Given this scale, it is widely recognized that no organization acting alone can resolve this situation; the IBA brings together a number of organizations to leverage their resources and knowledge for action, the release said.
 
With companies like the Tata Group, Reliance Industries and Jubilant Organosys leading the way, a further 29 Indian companies have joined forces under the auspices of the GHI with the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), the Confederation of Indian Industry, the World Health Organization and the Global Partnership to Stop TB.
 
By using a combination of workplace and community programmes, IBA members have provided critical diagnosis and treatment to those in need.
 
More than 7000 people across six IBA sites are currently being treated for active TB which will greatly improve the likelihood of these patients surviving the infection and will also help reduce the spread of the disease to non-infected people.
 
"TB is damaging the social and economic infrastructure of India where it is claiming almost half a million lives a year. The India Business Alliance is the largest business sector effort in the world focusing on the control of TB and the results prove that this approach has been very successful," said Francesca Boldrini, Director of the GHI.
 
"Working in partnership, IBA members have shown that companies can really accelerate their response to TB. We encourage more companies to come on board and other countries to replicate this model," he said.
 
With 100 million productive workdays in India estimated to be lost each year due to TB, it makes good business sense for companies to get involved to help curb the spread and impact of TB.
 
The IBA's results to date highlight how public-private partnerships can have a significant impact on controlling TB and show how the World Economic Forum can successfully leverage its relationships to tackle serious problems like TB.
 
"We believe that a healthy and strong workforce is integral to the production and growth of Reliance Industries, and we are committed to facing every health challenge that confronts our stakeholders. It is absolutely unacceptable that a curable disease like TB continues to deviously impact the lives of so many when we can and have found solutions through collective action with members of the India Business Alliance including RNTCP," commented Dr S. Shanbhag, Group Medical Adviser, Reliance Industries.

 
 

Also Read

First Published: Nov 28 2006 | 12:00 AM IST

Next Story