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Tuberculosis

Over 2 million TB deaths averted- Azad (The Tribune-20 May 2010)

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said The Lancet, an international medical
journal, had acknowledged that India had shown a systematic decline of 4 per cent per year in
maternal mortality. Addressing the World Health Assembly in Geneva, the minister said India
had revised its policies to achieve millennium development goals (MDGs) related to health.

“Over 7,00,000 community health workers and nearly 1,00,000 doctors, nurses and paramedics
have been added during the last five years in rural health care,” he said, speaking at the Plenary
Session of 63rd World Health Assembly, Geneva.

Azad added that under infectious diseases control programme, India had managed to avert over 2
million deaths on account of TB.

Against the MDG target of mortality reduction by 50 per cent by 2015, India has achieved 68 per
cent reduction, he claimed adding that India’s prevention strategy
was universally acknowledged as being the most cost-effective.

The minister said Indian vaccine industry was producing high quality vaccines at affordable
prices for the domestic and global market. He underlined that in this context it is important for
WHO pre-qualification process to be expedited to further facilitate Indian vaccine manufacturers
in playing a vital role in assuring global security of vaccines.

“Similarly, low cost good quality generic drugs make medical treatment a viable option for many
countries,” he said, further emphasising the need to steer clear of commercially motivated
debates over counterfeit drugs that have hampered public health by preventing access to good
quality low cost generic drugs.

“We need to urgently resolve the deadlock over sharing virus, vaccines and other benefits. We
believe virus sharing and benefit sharing must be on an equal footing,” the minister stated,
guarding India’s interests.