Delhi Government today launched three new schemes on the occasion of World TB Day including one for providing livelihood to wives of poor patients who succumbed to the disease.
The schemes include opening of TB control services for homeless population and opening of evening Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) Centers for Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) TB patients.
The initiatives were today unveiled by Health Minister A K Walia who said the Government was aiming at achieving "zero TB deaths" through various new initiatives.
He said Delhi Government will specifically focus on homeless people suffering from the disease.
"The initiative will initially cover those living in 25 selected night shelters. TB control officials will visit night shelters and provide awareness, preventive and curative services to this vulnerable section of the society," said Walia at a function.
The incidence of TB is higher among night shelter dweller as compared to other segments of the society.
Low socio economic status, poor literacy, associated habits such as alcoholism and drug addiction make such people more vulnerable to the disease, he added.
Walia said Delhi Government will now rehabilitate families of poor patients who died of TB.
"We will rehabilitate widows of poor patients so that they are able to sustain their families and overcome the trauma.
"Such widows will be empowered to participate under the TB control programme as Community DOT Provider (CDP) in Bhagidari mode.They will be provided training to become CDP.They will be allotted few TB patients under the treatment adherence scheme to enable them to earn," he said .
The Health Minister said that as part of rehabilitation programme, the widows will be provided with sewing machines free of cost and will be given free training to operate the machines to earn their livelihood.
He said Delhi Government will open evening treatment centre for MDR TB cases in chest clinics at Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital, Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital and Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital.
