Chennai, Sept 3 (PTI) In a move to ensure that Tuberculosis (TB) patients remain safe in the comfort of their homes during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Tamil Nadu government helped reach vital drugs to over 52,000 affected people at their doorstep.

In addition to providing them drugs, the government was continuously monitoring their health condition, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Thursday.

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Palaniswami, who took to Twitter to inform his government's initiative, said it provided the medicines throughout the treatment period for 52,489 TB patients.

Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said on Twitter, "TN Health has done a commendable job in taking care of TB Pts across the state during Covid. ATT drugs were stocked & distributed promptly for 52,489 TB pts since March'20."

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"Sputum collection, mobile X-Ray were done at the doorsteps of patients who required continuous monitoring," he added.

District level officers ensured nutritious food was supplied by various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), he said and appreciated the district level officers and field workers for their committed service.

In a statement, Vijayabaskar said as part of the government's special measures to contain the spread of coronavirus infection throughout Tamil Nadu, the government ensured regular supply of the medicines to the TB patients.

"Our efforts on providing better treatment to the TB patients without any hassles during the lockdown received appreciation from various quarters," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)