Medication should not be linked to religion: Amitabh Bachchan

Actor Amitabh Bachchan on Friday said that though India is a country with various beliefs, religion should not be a hurdle in health and medication.

The 73-year-old actor, who is the brand ambassador of India in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), said during the polio eradication campaign he found that there were few communities who stayed from the medication in name of their belief.

“The huge problem which we face during health campaigns is how one should reach out to the people India is a diverse country with various beliefs which keep people away from taking a specific kind of medication. We had problems with polio. There were several communities who thought taking polio drops was something against their caste or religion. Health and medication should not be linked to religion,” said Bachchan while launching the campaign “Call to Action: A TB-Free Haryana”.

The Piku star also opened up about why eradicating TB was close to his heart.“I was diagnosed with TB in 2000 and I felt that I need to talk about it because I have a personal interest in the cause. It makes a point to share the issue with others and encourage them to perhaps fight with the problem face to face,” he said.

The actor, along with Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, was present at the launch of two mobile vans to support the campaign.