On 7 December 2024, Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW), launched the intensified 100-day Tuberculosis (TB) elimination campaign to accelerate the fight against TB in Panchkula, Haryana. The campaign will culminate on March 24, 2025.
- During the launch, Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda also introduced national guidelines for the new drug-resistant TB regimen called BPaLM. These guidelines aim to streamline and standardize treatment.
Note: BPaLM refers to the Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, and Linezolid-based Multi-drug-resistant TB regimen. It is a new treatment regimen for drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) that combines three antibiotics to improve outcomes for patients who struggle with multi-drug-resistant (DR) TB.
Key Attendees: The event is attended by Chief Minister (CM) of Haryana, Nayab Singh Saini and Health Minister of Haryana, Arti Singh Rao and other senior officials. Union Ministers of State (MoS),MoH&FW, Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav and Anupriya Patel virtually attended the event.
About TB elimination campaign:
i.The campaign is part of the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aligning with the vision of a “TB-Mukt Bharat” (TB-free India) by 2025.
- One key initiative is the mandatory notification of TB cases by private practitioners, which has led to an eightfold increase in TB notifications.
ii.This nationwide initiative covers 347 districts in 33 states and Union Territories (UTs), aiming to strengthen the NTEP.
iii.The campaign focuses on improving case detection, reducing diagnostic delays, and providing better treatment for patients, particularly in high-risk groups, with plans to screen everyone, regardless of whether they show TB symptoms.
iv.The campaign will intensify efforts to find missing TB cases through advanced screening technologies and diagnostic tools.
- This includes using mobile detection vans called “Ni-kshay Vahan” equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered X-ray units and molecular tests, which will be deployed in remote areas to ensure that even the most underserved populations are screened for TB.
v.The initiative will also expand nutritional support through the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, which was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) on April 1, 2018 to support TB patients.
- In October 2024, the financial aid under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana was increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1000 per month.
- The government has provided over Rs 3,338 crore in direct benefits to 1.17 crore TB patients through the Ni-kshay scheme.
vi.Additionally, the campaign will continue to rely on the Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs, which will decentralize TB services and bring quality care closer to communities.
vii.The scope of the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (PMTBMBA) has been expanded to cover all household contacts of TB patients, further ensuring that no one is left behind.
Key Points:
i.Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eradicating TB well before the 2030 target set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
ii.He honored TB Champions and Ni-kshay Mitras for their support in the fight against TB and distributed food baskets during the launch.
iii.He also unveiled campaign materials, which included a detailed concept note and Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) resources in multiple regional languages.
iv.CM of Haryana, Nayab Singh Saini highlighted the success of campaigns like Jan Bhagidari, Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, Fit India, and Khelo India, which have set a global example for TB elimination.
- He also said that the government is working on “4Ts” to eliminate TB which are test, track, treat and technology.
Point to Note:
i.The government increased diagnostic labs from 120 in 2014 to 8,293 in 2024. A new TB drug regimen has improved the treatment success rate to 87%.
ii.India’s TB decline rate has doubled to 17.7%, and deaths have dropped by 21.4% in the last decade.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW):
Union Minister– Jagat Prakash Nadda (Rajya Sabha- Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS)- Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao (Constituency- Buldhana, Maharashtra ), Anupriya Patel (Constituency- Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, UP)
