Zero TB Deaths Campaign Launch
March 24, 2015
“It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation. Not merely for …the actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”-Arundhati Roy
In India, more than 3 lakh (300,000) people die from TB every year. It is a leading killer of people between the ages of 15–45 and costs India around 1.41 trillion Indian rupees or 23 billion US dollars annually.
Despite this, government leaders are refusing to act.
The Indian government already has one of the lowest healthcare budgets in the world, dedicating only 1.3% of its GDP. Then in 2015, India slashed its health budget by another 950 million US dollars, devastating already under-resourced TB care programs.
On March 24, 2015, Zero TB Deaths, a movement to change this status quo was launched.
The movement started with a petition by Prabha Mahesh, a social worker from Mumbai who had survived TB, calling on Prime Minister Modi and other leaders to prevent others from being infected. Her petition quickly gained momentum, getting more than 5,000 signatures in the first week.
Meanwhile, in Virudhunagar, a group of HIV positive women organized a petition signature campaign at the city bus station calling on their leaders to take action. More than 300 people signed on and hundreds more listened in as the women shared their stories and gave speeches calling for Zero TB Deaths.
In Sivakasi, a group of street performers held shows calling for more action, reminding their community that free TB treatment was a constitutional right. In Rajgarh, a group of activists met with local officials and held a march to call for action to address the TB emergency. The march began with 80 participants, but quickly grew as they walked through the city with banners and slogans and distributed pamphlets on TB.
Finally, in Delhi, a group of activists worked tirelessly to bring the movement to the nation’s capitol. Activists held meetings with Members of Delhi’s Legislative Assembly, spread the word to other activists, prepared the petition for delivery, held a march through the city, and gave interviews to reporters on the need to achieve Zero TB Deaths.
TB has been a growing crisis in India for generations, but now, a new movement — committed to the right to health and Zero TB Deaths — might actually be able to change things.
To join this movement, sign the petition: http://bit.ly/ztb-prabha
