I am a TB survivor, want India to be free from disease: Amitabh Bachchan

Recalling his battle with tuberculosis (TB), superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who is also the brand ambassador of Central government's Call to Action initiative for a TB-free India, said he took up the cause of spreading awareness about the disease because he is a TB survivor.

"In the year 2000 when I started shooting for 'Kaun Banega Crorepati', I was diagnosed with TB and was put on 8-10 painkillers a day. I contracted TB the day I was going to start [shooting for] 'KBC'. It was a TB of the spine. It is very uncomfortable .You cannot sit or lie down," Bachchan was quoted by the Press Trust of India as telling mediapersons Monday in New Delhi.

He said he underwent a year of rigorous treatment to overcome TB. He said advancements in medical science over the years have ensured there is a very "efficient and professional" treatment for TB.

"I do hope that the way we worked persistently towards polio eradication, we finally have a polio-free India. I am hopeful with all our combined efforts, we are able to achieve TB-free India," he said.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister JP Nadda, who addressed a round-table conference of MPs, and policy-makers Tuesday, appealed to them, and said they had a key role to play in eradicating TB from India by 2030.

According to the TB-India Report, 2015 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, one-fourth of all TB cases worldwide are reported in India.

In 2013, out of the estimated 9 million TB cases reported globally, 2.1 million were estimated to have occurred in India, the report said.