NEW DELHI, Dec 6: The government has announced the launch of a 100-day tuberculosis (TB) elimination campaign, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘TB-Mukt Bharat’. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, J.P. Nadda, will officially launch the campaign from Panchkula, Haryana on Saturday, in the presence of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and State Health Minister Arti Singh Rao.
The campaign is part of the government’s National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), aiming to address challenges such as TB notification and mortality rates. India is striving to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030.
The 100-day initiative will be implemented across 347 districts in 33 states and union territories. Its focus will be on enhancing TB case detection, reducing diagnostic delays, and improving treatment outcomes, particularly for high-risk groups. The campaign seeks to improve performance on key output indicators, including TB incidence rates, diagnostic coverage, and mortality rates.
The initiative also aligns with recent policy enhancements by the Ministry, such as increased financial aid for TB patients under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, and the inclusion of household contacts in the social support initiative, Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan. Additionally, the initiative will leverage the vast network of Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs to take TB services to the last mile.
According to the latest government data, nearly 21.69 lakh TB cases have been notified between January and October 2024. While TB notification has been a concern in India, there have been improvements in recent years. The incidence rate of TB has decreased by 17.7% from 237 per 1,00,000 population in 2015 to 195 per 1,00,000 population in 2023. Similarly, TB deaths have reduced by 21.4%, from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023.
