Apollo Tyres helps Indian government fight tuberculosis

In line with a call from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to eliminate TB in the country by 2025, Apollo Tyres, together with the Confederation of Industry of India (CII), the Ministry of Health and others, hosted a webinar in Gujarat to address the problem. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also took part in the discussion. The aim of the webinar was to draw attention to the problem.

Tuberculosis is a global problem of humanity, around 1.5 million people die from it every year. In India, the problem is most acute, with a death from tuberculosis reported every two minutes. The state of Gujarat, despite being one of the leaders in India in the fight against tuberculosis (among states with a population of over 50 million), last year reported almost 1.6 million new cases of tuberculosis. The number of cases in the state is expected to rise to 2 million this year.

According to Dr. Kuldeep Singh Sachdeva, Deputy Director General of the Central Tuberculosis Division of the Indian Ministry of Health, large companies in the country need to commit themselves to work to eradicate tuberculosis and help the government and healthcare providers.

Indian tire manufacturer Apollo Tyres has been in the healthcare industry since 2001 and has been focusing on HIV and tuberculosis prevention since 2017. Apollo Tyres joins the corporate commitment to tuberculosis control in 2018; since then, she has launched a tuberculosis treatment program in 12 cities across the country. Above all, the company's programs are aimed at raising awareness of the disease, early diagnosis and adherence to treatment to reduce the incidence and death of tuberculosis among motor vehicle drivers.

At the moment, Apollo Tyres provides medical services to the population on the basis of 31 medical centers, which are located in major transport hubs. Apollo is also conducting a case-finding campaign among truck drivers and technicians in the Indian trucking industry and is actively advocating for the community.