Mangaluru: A national-level workshop was organized by the department of Internal Medicine, Yenepoya Medical College, Yenepoya University, Mangaluru on guidance for nutrition in TB patients recently.  
Yenepoya University Chancellor Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi presided over the inaugural program.  Dr. Raghuram Rao, Deputy Director (General), Central Tuberculosis Division, Government of India, and Dr. KV Radhakrishna, Deputy Director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad were the guests of honor.  

The other dignitaries at the function were Vice Chancellor Dr. M Vijayakumar, Registrar Dr. Raghuveer CV, Dean Dr. Ghulam Jeelani Qadiri.  The Head of the Medicine Department, Dr. Nazir Attar and the Organizing Secretary and the brain behind the program Dr. Anurag Bhargava also graced the dais.
 
Dr. Bhargava welcomed everyone and explained the purpose of the workshop and the expected outcome.  Nutritional support in TB is a much needed but neglected area of the management, and to realize the objective of TB eradication, good nutrition is a crucial aspect that needs to be addressed.

 Dr. Raghuram informed the audience that the Government of India, backed by the WHO, has adopted the goal of TB eradication by 2035.  TB is still a major health issue for India.  Not only are the numbers increasing but the incidences of multidrug resistance (MDR) and extensively drug resistance (XDR) TB are also on the rise. The Government is doing all it can to reach out, identify and treat patients across the country, but issues of compliance and sharing of a common vision was hampering the goals, he said.  

He expressed appreciation that Yenepoya University was interested in organizing such programs. He encouraged more such programs and assured assistance from the government to realize the health goals.

Chancellor Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi delivered the presidential address and assured the government representatives at the function about Yenepoya University’s long-term sustained commitment to the cause of improving public health.  Public private partnerships should increase in number and meaningfully lead to deliverable outcomes. Yenepoya University will conduct more such awareness programs and also increase research in the field of TB, nutrition and other important public health issues.

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research, delivered the key note address via a video link.   She expressed satisfaction that this relevant topic was being addressed by experts and wished the workshop all success.