Patiala: Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has called for making the fight against tuberculosis (TB) a people’s movement. The Governor today inaugurated the 81st National Conference on Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, NATCON-2026, at Government Medical College, Patiala, along with Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh.
On the occasion, the Governor said that eliminating TB was not the sole responsibility of the government or the Health Department. He said that everyone must resolve to ensure that no TB patient is deprived of timely diagnosis. He also called for turning awareness against TB into a people’s movement driven by active public participation.
Governor Gulab Chand Kataria appreciated the contribution of the Tuberculosis Association of India, established in 1939, for its decades-long work in TB control, public awareness, medical education and scientific research in the country. He also encouraged the Association to publish booklets on TB in different languages of the country to spread wider awareness. The Governor stressed the need for early identification of TB patients, timely treatment and adequate nutritional support. He said that the government had extended support to TB patients through the ‘Nikshay Mitra’ scheme, while the Indian Red Cross Society was also extending assistance to such patients.
Gulab Chand Kataria expressed concern over the number of TB patients per lakh population in Punjab being higher than the national average and said that Punjab had set a target of eliminating TB by 2030. He said that achieving this target would require reaching high-risk populations, ensuring timely diagnosis, providing continuous treatment, adequate nutrition and social support to patients.
The Governor, however, expressed satisfaction that TB cases in the country had declined by 21 per cent over the past decade and that 92 per cent of TB patients were now receiving treatment, while the mortality rate had also declined by 28 per cent.
Governor Kataria stressed the need for TB screening of students in all schools and colleges. He said that there was earlier a perception that a person suffering from TB would inevitably die, but today TB was treatable and patients could be saved. He said that once a TB patient was identified, the person needed not only treatment and nutritious food but also respectful and dignified care.
The Governor said that TB was not merely an infectious disease but a serious health challenge affecting an individual, the entire family and ultimately society. He said that tackling the disease required collective efforts towards early detection, timely treatment, contact tracing, preventive treatment, nutrition, continuity of care and reducing the social stigma associated with TB.
On the occasion, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said that the Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, was committed to providing nutritional support not only to TB patients but also to patients suffering from HIV and hepatitis. He said that steps were also being taken to facilitate ration cards for such patients. The Health Minister appealed to Governor Kataria to take steps to extend free treatment facilities at PGI Chandigarh to the 65 lakh families covered under the Chief Minister Health Scheme.
Dr Balbir Singh appealed to the Indian Tuberculosis Association and the medical fraternity to write to the Central Government as well as governments of all states, urging them to take appropriate measures to improve the country’s air quality. The Health Minister reiterated the Punjab Government’s commitment, saying that health and education were among the top priorities of the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
During the national conference, Dr Vishwa Katoch, Chairman of the Indian Tuberculosis Association Dr V.K. Vohra, NATCON-2026 President Dr Surya Kant, Scientific Committee Chairman Dr S.K. Jindal, Punjab State Red Cross Society Secretary Shri Shivdular Singh Dhillon, Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, SSP Dr Harmandeep Singh Hans, ADC Navreet Kaur Sekhon, Director Medical Education Dr Avnish Kumar and Director-Principal Dr R.P.S. Sibia, among several other dignitaries, were present.
Welcoming the guests, Dr Vishal Chopra, Medical Superintendent of Rajindra Hospital and Organising Chairman, said that nearly 500 delegates from across the country were participating in the conference, which was being held in Patiala for the second time since 1956. The participants include eminent pulmonologists, TB specialists, medical faculty, researchers and post-graduate students.
Organising Secretary Dr Kranti Garg, while proposing the vote of thanks, said that the three-day conference would feature scientific sessions, expert lectures and research presentations, besides deliberations on the latest advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases.