New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for strengthening people’s participation to drive a “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society ” approach to eliminate tuberculosis.
Chairing a high-level review meeting on the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), he lauded early detection and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) patients in 2024 and said it should be scaled up nationwide, according to a statement.
He reaffirmed India’s commitment to eliminating TB from the country.
The prime minister reviewed the recently-concluded 100-day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, covering high-focus districts, during which 12.97 crore vulnerable individuals were screened and 7.19 lakh cases, including 2.85 lakh asymptomatic, detected.
Modi stressed the need to analyse the trends of TB patients based on urban or rural areas as well as their occupations.
This will help identify groups that need early testing and treatment, especially workers in construction, mining, textile mills and similar fields, according to the statement.
As healthcare technology improves, Nikshay Mitras (supporters of TB patients) should be encouraged to use technology to connect with TB patients. They can help patients understand the disease and its treatment using interactive and easy-to-use technology, Modi said.
The prime minister said that since TB had become curable with regular treatment, there should be less fear and more awareness among the public.
He highlighted the importance of cleanliness through Jan Bhagidari as a key step in eliminating TB.
He also called for efforts to personally reach out to each patient to ensure they got proper treatment.
During the review meeting, Modi noted the encouraging findings of the WHO Global TB Report, 2024, that affirmed an 18 per cent reduction in TB incidence (from 237 to 195 per lakh population between 2015 and 2023) at double the global pace, 21 per cent decline in TB mortality (from 28 to 22 per lakh population), and 85 per cent treatment coverage, reflecting the programme’s growing reach and effectiveness.
He reviewed key infrastructure enhancements, including expansion of the TB diagnostic network to 8,540 NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing) labs and 87 culture and drug susceptibility labs, more than 26,700 X-ray units, including 500 artificial intelligence-enabled handheld devices, with another 1,000 in the pipeline.
The decentralisation of all TB services, including free screening, diagnosis, treatment and nutrition support at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs was also highlighted, according to the statement.
Several new initiatives such as artificial intelligence-driven handheld X-rays for screening, shorter treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB, newer indigenous molecular diagnostics, nutrition interventions and screening and early detection in congregate settings such as mines, tea gardens and construction sites were highlighted.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda; Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, PK Mishra; Principal Secretary-2 to the Prime Minister, Shaktikanta Das; and Advisor to the Prime Minister, Amit Khare; were among those who attended the meeting.
