Indiaspora partnered with USAID, American India Foundation, Dasra, and Intellecap on November 9th to bring together leading Indian-Americans and organizations committed to India’s sustainable development, as well as the role of the Indian diaspora in the fight against tuberculosis at Georgetown University India Initiative. Experts offered their thoughts on how the collective impact of the Indian diaspora can work together to advance the Government of India’s stated goal of ending TB in India by 2025. Speakers shared their experiences and lessons learned working on India’s most pressing health issues, and emphasized how innovation, entrepreneurship, financing, and public-private approaches that have been successful in meeting other health challenges can be brought to bear in the fight against TB. The event concluded with a networking session featuring leading diaspora and health groups.
As its economy continues to grow and transform, India remains plagued by devastating public health threats. Tuberculosis (TB), an airborne infectious disease, is one such threat; TB is not only a global health security risk, but it also has a widespread effect on India’s society and economy. The World Bank estimates India could lose up to 7 percent of its gross domestic product due to TB-related decreases in productivity. There are over 2.7 million people with TB in India each year, with almost 450,000 people die from it. Furthermore, approximately 150,000 Indians develop multidrug-resistant TB each year, requiring much more extensive—and expensive—treatment.
Speakers included:
In addition, special thanks to Mike Monteleone of USAID/Asia Bureau – Economic Growth for his help in organizing the event.
To hear more about the fight against tuberculosis in India from Amita Gupta, an expert and leader in the field, please visit her blog for Indiaspora here.
Amita Gupta, Deputy Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Clinical Global Health Education, leverages her expertise to discuss the gravity of the current health outlook regarding tuberculosis in India and action needed. The video begins with Dr. Gupta explaining the disparity in health care that exists in the U.S. and India.