Govt to launch 100-day TB elimination programme

NEW DELHI, Dec 6: The Union Health Ministry in collaboration with key stakeholders is all set to launch a 100-day TB elimination campaign focussing on enhancing detection, reducing diagnostic delays and improving treatment outcomes.

  The initiative, set to be implemented across 347 districts in 33 states and Union Territories, aims to strengthen programmatic activities and reduce disparities in TB outcomes across diverse regions of the country to achieve the aim of TB elimination, a health ministry statement said.

The campaign envisages improving programme performance on key output indicators like TB incidence rates, diagnostic coverage, and mortality rates.

It also aligns with recent policy enhancements by the Ministry, including increased financial aid for TB patients, under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, and inclusion of household contacts under the social support initiative, Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, it stated.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda will launch the intensified campaign from Panchkula in Haryana on Saturday.

The campaign underscores the government’s commitment to achieving the goal of end-TB by addressing the challenges of tuberculosis (TB) notification and mortality in India under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) of the Ministry of Health, the statement said.

This initiative is in line with the vision of a TB-Mukt Bharat that was laid out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the 2018 Delhi End TB Summit. Since then, critical initiatives have been launched by the programme to strengthen prevention, diagnostic, and treatment services across the country, it stated.

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.

The initiative will leverage the vast network of Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs across the country that have taken TB services to the last mile, the statement said. (PTI)