BioVoice News April 2017 Issue 11 Volume 1 | Page 81

Aligned with the global theme of World TB Day 2017, those gathered signed a pledge to unite to end TB. The signatories, who lit candles at the site, have lent their complete support to achieve India’s goal to eliminate TB by 2025. Ms Blessina Kumar, who leads the Global Coalition of TB Activists, said, “We stand with every TB patient for the trauma and stigma he or she has had to face. This show of strength and solidarity today is a sign of our concerted efforts to fight and end TB in India.” 6 AIIMS like institutes functional, 4 in progress & 6 new proposed India carries the highest burden of TB – 27 percent of the TB cases from around the world are from this country. O nly last year there were 28 lakh new TB patients and 79,000 patients of drug-resistant TB, Patna (Bihar), Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bhubaneshwar (Odisha), Jodhpur (Rajasthan) and Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) have already been made functional. An AIIMS at Rae Bareli is The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Mrs Anupriya Patel gave the details about current status of AIIMS like hospitals being set up across India. Six AIIMS at being established under Phase-II of PMSSY. Finance Minister while presenting the Budget for the financial year 2014-15 had announced setting up of four new AIIMS in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Purvanchal in UP, and in the Budget speech 2015-16 has proposed to set up six new AIIMS in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Bihar. Two new AIIMS in Gujarat and Jharkhand have been announced in Budget speech of 2017-18. lakh lives lost due to this disease last year. a more severe form of the disease which is also more difficult to treat. Additionally, TB is known to be five times more common amongst economically deprived classes and incurs huge costs on its patients and their families. MedGenome launches novel genetic screening test for unborn babies To help address this problem, and to give couples planning on a baby get better understanding of their risks to pass on genetic disorders, MedGenome, India’s premier genomics based research and Diagnostics Company, has announced the BIOVOICENEWS.COM 81