Bhubaneswar, Aug 12 [UDN}:: The two-day National Conclave and Policy Dialogue on Tuberculosis, jointly organized by AIIMS Bhubaneswar and the Policy Resilience Foundation (PRF), concluded successfully here on Friday. The special event brought together policymakers, public health workers, scientists, doctors, researchers, officials from the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), and leaders from the healthcare sector.
The conclave witnessed extensive deliberations on strengthening the early detection, surveillance, and research of tuberculosis (TB), with the aim of accelerating the vision of making India a TB-free country.
Odisha Legislative Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy attended the valedictory ceremony of the two-day conference as the chief guest. State Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling also attended the event as a guest.
Addressing the gathering, Speaker Surama Padhy said that the vision of a TB-free India envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister is not merely a public health initiative, but a national movement driven by collective responsibility, advances in scientific thinking, and public participation.
She called for greater collaboration and partnership among AIIMS Bhubaneswar, the Government of Odisha, and other stakeholders to translate scientific evidence in TB elimination into effective public health action. She also emphasized the use of technology in TB elimination and encouraged exploration of pilot initiatives involving advanced genotypic testing.
Highlighting the continuing challenge posed by drug-resistant tuberculosis, the Speaker stressed the importance of early detection of drug resistance and Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST). She also emphasized improving patient outcomes, reducing transmission, and strengthening the public healthcare system.
Health Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling expressed interest in collaborating with AIIMS Bhubaneswar and other stakeholders to implement evidence-based pilot projects to assess the feasibility, accessibility, and scalability of advanced diagnostic technologies within the state’s public health system.
On the occasion, AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director and CEO Dr. Ashutosh Biswas highlighted the institute’s commitment to advancing TB research, molecular diagnostics, genotypic testing, and evidence-based policy development in eastern India. He informed that discussions are underway for AIIMS Bhubaneswar to initiate advanced TB testing on a pilot basis in two districts of Odisha, with the objective of generating scientific evidence for wider implementation in the field of TB elimination.
AIIMS Bhubaneswar Medical Superintendent Dr. Prabhas Ranjan Tripathy, PRF Founder Nandish Pithani, Conference Organizing Chairman Dr. Prashant Raghav Mahapatra, and Organizing Secretary Dr. Sourin Bhuyan were among those present on the dais during the valedictory ceremony.
Senior officials of the state government, representatives of NTEP, scientists, doctors, microbiologists, public health experts, researchers, and healthcare sector leaders also attended the programme.
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