The Blog Posts
Thrust on care of TB-infected HIV patients Stress on coordinated effort to fight TB Volunteers needed for anti-TB campaign
The Initiative
REACH – Resource group for Education & Advocacy for Community Health is a non profit organization set up in 1999 in Chennai with the objective of bringing awareness in the community on health related issues. The government program DOTS was popularized and the working model demonstrates the efficacy of Public – Private Mix (PPM).
Lilly is the Global leader in pharmaceuticals in Research & Development and support several projects all over the world with a special focus on MDR-TB. The Lilly MDR-TB Partnership was created to help contain and ultimately conquer multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), a disease so daunting that no single organization can fight it alone.
The Partnership, a public-private initiative, mobilizes 18 partners on five continents in the battle to stop the spread of MDR-TB and save lives. Lilly is donating $135 million in cash, medicines and technology to increase access to treatment and focus global resources on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients with MDR-TB. The Lilly Partnership initiatives all have one thing in common: improved care for some of the world’s most vulnerable people, who are least able to fight this disease. The public-private partnership provides access to medicines, transfers manufacturing technology to the developing world, trains healthcare workers, raises awareness and promotes research and prevention, while providing support for communities and advocating on behalf of patients. The partners work together closely, sharing knowledge, expertise and research in the quest to contain and conquer one of the world’s oldest diseases. The Lilly MDR-TB Partnership is about more than the transfer of technology and know-how — it’s the Transfer of Hope.
The media, in general are interested in health issues, but we as a community have not approached the media with a clear strategy for TB to enlist help in creating a public platform of informed opinions, dispel the myths and taboos about the disease, treatment and support from the government etc. Effective media campaigns for TB help create awareness, and motivate individuals and communities to engage in healthy behaviors and seek proper health care thereby reducing vulnerability to the disease.
When the disease is a multifaceted, impacting and affecting the society, remedies should also be multi pronged. Media, which conveys information and moulds public opinion, remains at the heart of our campaign to help people make informed choices.
Tuberculosis is a social disease with serious health, economic and social consequences remains a major public health challenge of the present century. We need to bring a variety of players for inter-sectoral coordination and cooperation, which will leverage and synergize the strengths of different partners in the fight against TB.
