Chandigarh: The rate of decline of tuberculosis incidence in India has doubled since 2015 and is ahead of the global average, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said on Saturday while inaugurating a nationwide campaign in Haryana’s Panchkula to reduce such cases and mortality due to it. The 100-day TB elimination campaign will be implemented in 347 districts of 33 states where the prevalence of the disease is higher. The campaign is focused on enhancing detection, reducing diagnostic delays and improving treatment outcomes.
“We will take detection, tests, treatment and supportive strategies forward at a fast pace under this programme,” Nadda said.
The Union health minister highlighted the country’s long struggle in its fight against tuberculosis, saying that at one time TB was considered ‘slow death’.
“Even family members suffering from TB were isolated to prevent its spread. Since 1962, there have been many campaigns against tuberculosis, but in 2018 the prime minister put forth a vision to end TB much before the 2030 deadline of the Sustainable Development Goals,”
“We changed strategies to achieve the aim. Services have been decentralised and now, 1,73,000 AAMs (Ayushman Arogya Mandirs) will have the facilities to detect and treat tuberculosis,” the Union health minister said.
He also informed the gathering that molecular technologies have been introduced for TB detection. Also, a new and shorter regimen of tuberculosis treatment has been started which will help increase compliance and fight TB, he said.
Nadda highlighted that the rate of tuberculosis incidence decline in India has doubled from 8.3 per cent in 2015 to 17.7 per cent now, which is much ahead of the global average. Deaths due to tuberculosis have also reduced significantly in India by 21.4 per cent in the last 10 years, he said.
“Ni-kshay support worth Rs 3,338 crore has been provided through direct benefit transfer to over 1.17 crore tuberculosis patients,” the minister said and underscored the government has increased Ni-kshay poshan amount recently from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 and added energy boosters for the nourishment support for TB patients.
He said the government has now made it mandatory for even private practitioners to notify any new tuberculosis patient so that their treatment can be followed up immediately.
“This might look like a small step but it has led to an eight-fold increase in the rate of TB notifications in the private sector,” Nadda said.
The 100-day campaign underscores the Union government’s commitment to achieving the goal of end-TB by addressing the challenges of tuberculosis notification and mortality in India under the National TB Elimination Programme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Some of the key focus areas of the campaign are increasing access to advanced diagnostics, targeted screening among vulnerable groups, specialized care for high-risk individuals, and provision of expanded nutritional support.
