The Call to Action for a TB-Free India will bring top government officials and members of parliament (MPs) together with big name Indian celebrities to bring increased awareness and momentum to the fight against TB.
The Call to Action for a TB-Free India will bring top government officials and members of parliament (MPs) together with big name Indian celebrities to bring raised awareness and increased momentum to the fight against TB. The two-day event will provide a platform for tuberculosis (TB) experts, scientists, patients, doctors and government representatives to discuss strategies for implementing a TB control strategy that engages all stakeholders.
The TB-Free India Summit, followed by The India Vs TB Cricket tournament between celebrities and MPs will take place on 7 and 8 April, hosted in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The event aims to bring national focus to the issue of TB and galvanise support and commitment from key stakeholders, with commitments from Government, politicians, corporate partners and donors to pool resources to end TB in India.
Speakers and participants will include the Honourable Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Shri J P Nadda. Members of Parliament attending include Anurag Thakur, Manoj Tiwari, Rajiv Shukla, Babul Supriyo, Nishikant Dubey. Famous names making up the celebrity cricket side include Aftab Shivdasani, Jimmy Shergill, Sunil Shetty, Bobby Deol, Sonu Sood, and Sohail Khan.
Representatives from civil society, Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, The Union, the World Health Organization, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), The Global Fund and the Stop TB Partnership will also attend.
The summit is organised by The Union as a part of the Call to Action for a TB-Free India campaign supported by Challenge TB (the flagship TB control programme of USAID; implemented by The Union in India), The Global Fund and WHO, in association with the Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association.
Entry will be free for the cricket tournament on April 8, 2017 at HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala.
TB in India
India accounts for one quarter of the global TB burden and is on all three lists of the 30 high burden countries for TB, multidrug-resistant TB and TB-HIV. There was an estimated 2.8 million newly infected TB patients in 2015 alone (WHO Global TB Report, 2016). Despite an extensive National TB Programme and significant civil society involvement, TB remains one of India’s severest health crises.
About the Call to Action for a TB-Free India
The Call to Action for a TB-Free India is a national advocacy campaign, working to create partnerships, increase political will and commitment, and mobilise domestic resources towards ending TB in India. The TB-Free India campaign was launched by Hon Shri JP Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and is part of the global Challenge TB project funded by the United States Agency for International Development and implemented by The Union.
High-level support for the campaign has come from various stakeholders, including Amitabh Bachchan, TB survivor and Ambassador to the campaign, over 30 members of parliament who have formed the India TB Caucus and corporate and civil society partners.
Visit the campaign on Facebook: ForTBFreeIndia