Mr. Mohan HL, KHPT CEO, participated in the Multi-stakeholder Hearings on Universal Health Coverage, Tuberculosis, and Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response held at the United Nations Headquarters from May 8-9 in New York, USA. The hearings, held in preparation for the United Nations High-Level Meeting to be held in September 2023, involved representatives of the Member States, observers of the General Assembly, parliamentarians, representatives of local government, UN entities, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia, professional associations,the private sector, and communities.

Mr Mohan made a statement and discussed the necessity of broadening the scope of community engagement, drawing on KHPT’s extensive experience with engaging grassroots community structures and self-governance bodies to improve access to care for the most vulnerable populations.

His statement reads:

“Community response to TB holds significance now more than ever before, particularly to address TB Stigma, address barriers to access and care for the unreached and most vulnerable populations and, address the social ramifications of TB disease, especially as India unifies its efforts towards its ambitious End TB goal by 2025. Broadening the scope of community engagement for TB Elimination through the involvement of both formal and informal grassroots community structures and local self-governance bodies that represent vulnerable communities in both urban and rural areas, positions TB as an agenda of civil society and places it within the broader framework of health and well-being for communities.”

Pictured: Mr Mohan HL with Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director – World Health Organization Global Tuberculosis Programme