Dr Manisha Srivastava of BMHRC informs
Bhopal: “World TB Day” is celebrated every year on 24 March. On this occasion, various programs like TB quiz and panel discussion were organized in the auditorium of Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Center (BMHRC) to raise awareness and promote efforts for the elimination of this disease. PG students of the institute participated in large numbers in the TB quiz.
On this occasion, Director-in-Charge Dr Manisha Srivastava while addressing the people present in the auditorium said that on the occasion of World TB Day, the national program for TB elimination has to be taken forward. This time the theme of WHO for the year 2025 is – Yes, we can eliminate TB: Commit, invest, deliver results.
She said TB patients sent to DOT centers should be followed up. To prevent diseases, the government should make provision in the budget and focus on investment. The collaborative results that will follow will be positive. It is heartening that the NRL (National Reference Laboratories) lab in the Department of Microbiology, BMHRC is contributing to the advancement of TB testing. Our institute is a healthcare institute, so we should participate in the national programmes run by the government.
Dr Shweta Kumari, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, gave a presentation on “TB Sample Collection, Storage and Transportation”. Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine Department, Dr. Ankita Chouksey gave a presentation on “Innovations in Diagnosis and Treatment of Tuberculosis” and discussed it, in which she told that there is a need to test with new techniques to control TB disease.
TB no longer limited to lungs
Program coordinator Dr. Lalit Kumar, Head of Department of Pulmonary Medicine said that TB disease is no longer limited to the lungs, this disease can also affect other organs. New types of TB cases are coming to the fore. So there is a need to be aware and face it. With the new technique, samples can now be taken from swabs in addition to sputum. The good thing is that now hand-held X-ray machines have come, so that X-rays can be done even in remote areas. With the help of AI tool, it can be ascertained from the sound of the patient’s cough whether the patient is affected by TB or not.
A panel discussion was organized on the topic of “Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis” in the program, in which Dr. Prabha Desikan, Head of Microbiology Department, Dr. Mahesh Rathore, Professor of Pulmonary Medicine Department, Dr. Saurabh Dixit, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery Department and Dr. Pramod Verma, Assistant Professor of Gastro Surgery Department participated.
