In a first, Amritsar admn starts delivery of cooked meals to TB patients
Amritsar launches a project to deliver high-protein meals to 5,053 TB patients at home, aiding recovery and planning statewide expansion.
For the first time, Amritsar district has started a project to deliver cooked high-protein meals to tuberculosis (TB) patients under the national TB elimination programme to as many as 5,053 persons at their doorsteps twice a day.
Launched by the Amritsar administration, health minister Dr Balbir Singh said that the Punjab government now plans to replicate it across all the districts in the state.
Dr Balbir Singh said that nutritional support would play a vital role in the recovery process for TB patients.
“A well-balanced and nutrient-rich meal aids in the recovery of TB patients. This is a laudable initiative of the Amritsar district administration. We are planning to launch this in other districts as well. Some districts are already coming forward,” Dr Balbir said.
The idea of providing cooked meals came up during the mapping of the patients under 100 days of TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan – which kicked off on December 7, last year.
Officials said that during the screening they learned that the majority of the patients were from poor backgrounds and were suffering from other comorbid health conditions also. “For them cooking special diet for the patients used to put extra financial burden,” the officials added.
Under the scheme, the patients are generally sponsored by private individuals or organisations, who donate a fixed sum ( ₹600) for a monthly ration that includes peanuts, dalia, soya chunks, moong dal, roasted channa (chickpeas), rajma (Kidney beans) and jaggery.
“The patients require a high-protein diet to aid recovery. Each meal is designed to be a wholesome combination of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals),” officials added.
Amritsar DC Sakshi Sawhney said we realised that many patients were not able to cook high-protein meals for themselves as it puts an extra financial burden on them. “Cooking costs increase when patients separately cook their meals in their families. Considering this, we thought of providing cooked meals to TB patients at their doorsteps. Each meal is carefully calibrated to ensure it meets the specific nutritional requirements of TB patients,” Sawhney said, who has adopted 10 patients in the district.
The food is being prepared by an NGO Ni-Kshay Mitras with help from other organisations. “The meal is then delivered directly to the patients’ doorsteps, the DC added.