Haryana: Nadda launches 100-day TB elimination campaign in Panchkula

The 100-Day TB Elimination Campaign will target 347 districts across 33 states and Union Territories, focusing on finding and treating missing TB cases, especially in high-risk groups, and reducing TB deaths

The rate of decline of tuberculosis incidence in India has doubled since 2015 and is ahead of the global average, said Union health minister J P Nadda while inaugurating a nationwide campaign in Panchkula on Saturday. He noted a 21.4% reduction in TB-related deaths in the last decade.

Union health minister JP Nadda, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and state minister Anil Vij flag off a 100-day nationwide campaign to reduce TB incidence and mortality, in Panchkula on Saturday. (ANI)

The 100-Day TB Elimination Campaign will target 347 districts across 33 states and Union Territories, focusing on finding and treating missing TB cases, especially in high-risk groups, and reducing TB deaths. These districts were selected based on factors like death rates, presumptive TB examination rates, and TB incidence, compared to the national average.

The Union minister highlighted the country’s long struggle in its fight against tuberculosis, saying that at one time TB was considered “slow death” and patients were often isolated. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2018 vision of eradicating TB before the 2030 deadline for sustainable development goals as a catalyst for progress.

He further noted that the government has greatly expanded diagnostic services, increasing the number of laboratories from 120 in 2014 to 8,293 today. He also highlighted the introduction of a new, shorter drug regimen for sensitive TB, which has improved the treatment success rate to 87%.

Nadda shared that over ₹3,338 crore in Ni-kshay support has been provided to over 1.17 crore TB patients through direct benefit transfer. The government also recently increased the Ni-kshay Poshan amount from ₹500 to ₹1,000 and added energy boosters to improve the nourishment support for TB patients.

To improve treatment tracking, the government has made it mandatory for private practitioners to notify new TB cases. This policy change has resulted in an 8-fold increase in TB notifications in the private sector.

At the event, Nadda also unveiled national guidelines for the new drug-resistant TB regimen, BPaLM, aimed at standardising and improving the administration of advanced treatment for drug-resistant TB patients.