Shimla : Himachal Pradesh would achieve its target of completely controlling tuberculosis (TB) by 2023, two years ahead of the target, state Health Minister Kaul Sing said.

The state was front-runner in TB control activities and carved a niche for it at the national level, he said at the closing session of a two-day workshop of Zonal Task Force (North Zone) here.

The workshop was organised by the State Task Force, State TB Cell and National Health Mission HP, in collaboration with Central TB Division, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

As many as 100 delegates from eight states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh participated in the workshop.

He said India contributed over 25 per cent of total cases of TB in the world. The 28 lakh cases and 4.8 lakh deaths every year in India tells the story of disease burden.

The minister said the state had decentralised TB diagnostic and treatment services and it has 72 TB units for 74 health blocks and all allopathic health institutions were functioning as peripheral health institutions.

There were 200 diagnostic microscopic centres in the state and 15 more such centres were being opened, he said.