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Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh

Accelerated progress needed to end TB: Poonam Khetrapal Singh

 BS RAWAT
To accelerate efforts to End TB by 2022 at least 18 million TB patients – including 1.5 million children – must be diagnosed and effectively treated, says Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director of the WHO South-East Asia Region.

Dr Singh said in a statement: “Over 500 000 patients with drug-resistant TB must be successfully treated and approximately 12 million people at risk of developing the disease must be provided preventive treatment,” the statement said.

To do so, active case-finding to reach the Region’s missing 1.5 million TB cases should be intensified. Modelling shows that this will significantly reduce case incidence at the same time as ensuring all patients receive quality treatment, she said.

Dr Singh advised, “Member States should likewise develop a roadmap on how new diagnostics and community engagement can help find missing cases and how people-centered treatment can be provided to all.”

She requested that all partners should support the supply of quality assured, low-cost TB drugs via south-south cooperation. Several Member States produce drugs and diagnostics. Others are developing technologies that show great promise. The Region’s innovative potential should be fully leveraged, including through the royalty-free transfer of new technology, without patent limitations.

Finally, community engagement must be a core priority for all. Affected communities should not only be included in developing TB-related policies; they should also be empowered to monitor the quality of services and support outreach efforts.

WHO will continue to provide Member States full technical and operational support to pursue these and other imperatives. As international backing increases and Member State funding mechanisms are streamlined, the opportunity to chart further gains will be enhanced.


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