In Himachal Pradesh, the ACSM team is supporting the State TB programme to empower community health officers to take ownership of advocacy efforts. Through in-person and virtual training sessions, the community health officers were equipped with the skills and tools to take ownership of integral Jan Andolan (people’s movement) activities at a local level.
Yamini Sood, Community Health Officer, said: “ACSM is not just spreading messages. It is generating a demand for TB testing and ensuring people start and complete treatment on time. Social media is amplifying impact at scale, turning awareness into early diagnosis and community-led support. This powerful convergence of field action and digital reach is accelerating real, measurable progress towards a TB-free India.”
This community health officer engagement model has expanded the depth and reach of TB elimination efforts in the state. Instead of district-led interventions, community health officers are delivering ACSM initiatives at a primary healthcare level, such as:
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Public engagement meetings.
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Community outreach addressing barriers relating to early testing.
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Engagement of rural village leaders.
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Promotion of treatment adherence and uptake of free TB services.
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Awareness raising through social media.
This carefully planned engagement model has been strategically and enthusiastically implemented in all districts of Himachal Pradesh.
Anisha Singh, Global ACSM Lead at The Union, said: “The long-standing advocacy and training efforts of The Union, not only emphasise the critical importance of social and behaviour change to boost TB screening and treatment activities, but also highlight how vital building ACSM muscle across India is.
“The practices in Himachal Pradesh to engage, empower and leverage the passion and commitment of grassroots health workers to end TB needs to be acknowledged, celebrated and scaled up.”