JAIL FOR DOCTORS /CHEMIST IF NOT REPORTING TB TO HEALTH DEPTT

Prof .DRRAM,HIV /AIDS,HEPATITIS ,SEX DISEASES & WEAKNESS expert,New Delhi,India, profdrram@gmail.com,+917838059592,+919832025033,ON WHATSAPP

India want to end TB by 2025 as per our Priminister promised in recently held END TB MEET conference in New Delhi recently while WHO has kept such target for other countries as 2030.High Incidence of Tuberculois in India and more number of deaths are due to TB as MDR and EDR TB has emerged and Government has allotted crores of fund for this and to allow costly 3rd line drug Bedaquiline and Delamind for EDR TB.

            In this regard Ministry of health ,Government of India has issued a notification that doctors, chemists and druggists can be punished with jail time for a period of ^ months to 2 years  for not informing government authorities about tuberculosis cases. In India, TB was made a notifiable disease – any disease required by law to be reported to government authorities – in 2012. However, there was no provision until now to take penal action if cases were not reported.

       The ministry’s notification said clinical establishments must inform the nodal officer about TB patients, and those who do not can be punished with a jail term of six months to two years under the Indian Penal Code, The Indian Express reported.The ministry’s notification has also made it mandatory for government health officers to track the notified TB patients by visiting them at home and ensuring that they follow the treatment prescribed to them even if such officer if he doesnot take action after getting notification than he may be jailed too.

        Like as Excessive undesirable vasectomies were done in emergency by Indira Gandhi same way such punishment is highly controversial as simple drug cannot treat TB it requires nutritional and economical support to porr patient and his family to get over TB.

Please tell your opinion is it justified ?