As responsible care providers and community members, we have three major responsibilities:

1. Provide our patients with the best opportunity for cure;
2. Prevent the development of multi drug resistance, and;
3. Prevent the community from further infection

The RNTCP has equipped us with the strategy to meet all the above challenges. The onus of using this strategy effectively is on all of us. The responsibility of ensuring that every TB patient in the community is aware of and avail the services of good quality TB care is on us. As teachers whose opinion is valued, it is also our responsibility to transfer knowledge and skills for care of TB patients to all practitioners.

This workshop, with blessings of the Honourable Minister himself and dedicated support of Director General Health Services provide us the opportunity to interact, learn from each other and pool in all our efforts to work towards the control of TB in our communities. I am confident that by the end of the workshop, we would have generated workable recommendations for the involvement of Medical Colleges in the RNTCP.

At the inaugural session itself, let me frankly confess and you will see for yourself that the workshop / meetings of TB control programme are different from most of the others. Today, after returning from field at 4.30 p.m. the technical session will continue at least till 7.00 p.m. and there will be no time for outing today but I assure you that we will give all support tomorrow late in the evening for your outing and site seeing. We have tried to make your short stay as comfortable as possible. The arrangements have been made for transportation from your place of stay to NTI and back. A travel agent is available at the venue to facilitate return tickets. A communication centre has been established and e-mail, fax and xerox facilities all free of cost are available for all the participants. Please do not hesitate to contact our staff for any other requirements, if need be.

During your stay here, please feel at home away from your home and all my colleagues endeavor to make your stay comfortable. I wish you all a very pleasant stay.

I once again welcome you all for this Workshop