13,164 lives saved under RNTCP

Shimla, Apr 29 (UNI) The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has been helpful in saving 13,164 lives in Himachal Pradesh up to March this year, State Tuberculosis Officer K L Gupta has said.

Presiding over a review meeting of the RNTCP yesterday, he said the programme has also been successful in bringing down the death rate to six per cent from a high of 26 per cent in the previous system of treatment.

He said Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign has helped in reducing the severity of the disease and feeling of stigma.

Decentralisation of the programmes was being done in a phased manner and a person could volunteer to collect the samples of the sputum from health institutions and transport these to the nearest microscopy centre for a fixed remuneration, Mr Gupta said.

WHO-RNTCP consultant KC Kaushal, who was present on the occasion, said, ''Monitoring of the programme, especially in tribal areas, was essential to ensure its success.'' UNI