GUWAHATI, Feb 26 - A 4-day capacity-building workshop for TB survivors organised by REACH (Resource Group for Education and Advocacy for Community Health), was held here recently. Thirty-three TB survivors from 24 districts of the State attended the event.
The TB survivors� network formed in Assam in July 2018 following a similar capacity-building workshop organised by REACH, was formally named as Lachit Jakhma Jajharu Assam.
The workshop was organised in partnership with the State TB Cell, Assam, and with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Assam now has 57 trained TB Champions from 27 districts.
Interacting with the participants at the workshop, State TB Officer, Assam Dr NJ Das stressed the role of TB Champions in ensuring the goal of a TB-free State by 2025.
He also emphasised the importance of patient-centric care while providing treatment services. �TB Champions can be engaged in patient support to ensure treatment adherence and complete cure,� he said.
The objective of the workshop was to support the TB survivors to become effective TB Champions so that they can spearhead advocacy, outreach and patient support activities at the community level. The TB Champions were oriented on the basics of TB care and treatment, the structure of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), key TB issues in Assam and effective tools for advocacy, communications and network building.
