Union Health Minister JP Nadda speaking to Chief Ministers and Health Ministers on TB elimination campaign during a virtual meeting in New Delhi on Saturday
New Delhi: Stating that State governments and Union Territories (UTs) can support the Centre in eliminating TB from the country, Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Saturday appealed to them to promote the TB elimination campaign in their meetings and rallies.
During a virtual meeting with the Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of different States and UTs on the 100-day Intensified TB Elimination Campaign, Nadda also urged them to come forward as Nikshay Mitras to adopt TB patients.
Nikshay Mitra is a community-driven initiative that provides additional support to TB patients. Health Minister Nadda noted that states already have nearly two months' stock of TB medicines and stated that the Centre is working towards ensuring advance stock of at least six months of TB medicines available in the states.
Nadda urged Chief Ministers and Health Ministers to monitor the progress of the campaign, involve other ministries and departments, and encourage the support of members of Legislative Assemblies and Councils to ensure community mobilisation.
The Union Health Minister also urged them to monitor the campaign at the state level and ensure the same is done by the political and administrative leadership at the district levels. He suggested that to ensure a whole-of-government approach, other ministries and departments can be roped in to support campaign activities in the spirit of Jan Bhagidari, similar to the approach taken at the national level.
Nadda highlighted that the rate of TB decline in the country from 2015 to 2024 is 17.7 per cent, which is double that of the global average of 8.3 per cent. “The deaths due to TB have reduced significantly in India by 21.4 per cent in the last 10 years,” he said.
He highlighted the importance of test, tracking and diagnostics for active TB testing, screening and diagnosis of patients and urged the dignitaries to actively monitor the campaign in the identified districts in their respective states.
An overview of the 100-day campaign, which aims to reduce TB incidence and mortality due to TB in 347 priority districts across the country was presented at the event. It was informed that to increase detection, intensified case-finding drives will be conducted using advanced screening and diagnostic technologies to reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation. Parallelly, to reduce mortality due to TB, the programme will expand access to novel initiatives such as Differentiated TB Care to provide specialised care for high-risk patients and increased nutritional support through Nikshay Poshan Yojana.
The State Ministers were also informed about the various community mobilisation activities that should be undertaken during the campaign, including over 80,000 Nikshay Shivirs to monitor progress.
Building on the Janbhagidari approach, the TB elimination campaign aims to mobilise community members to undertake Ni-kshay Shapaths and urge community leaders, individuals, NGOs and corporations to become Ni-kshay Mitras. Alongside, TB Vijaetas (TB champions) and Ni-kshay Mitras will be recognized for their contributions that will further inspire collective action.
Since the launch of the campaign, a total of 53 lakh vulnerable individuals have been screened. Out of these, 2.21 lakh individuals have been tested, leading to the diagnosis of 22,178 new patients. Through the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, 17,621 beneficiaries have received Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), and in total, 16 lakh beneficiaries have been paid 416 crore rupees in the year.
Additionally, 1,630 new Nikshay Mitras were registered, collectively adopting over 12,000 patients during the campaign period. Cumulatively, 1.8 lakh Nikshay Mitras have adopted 8.63 lakh patients. During the campaign, 13,066 food baskets were distributed, and a total of 22 lakh food baskets have been distributed cumulatively.
During the meeting, the Chief Ministers, LGs and Health Ministers were provided with an overview of the campaign, its objectives, the key strategic activities being undertaken, and the role of states and UTs in ensuring the successful implementation of the campaign.
State Ministers who were present in the meeting included Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, Dr Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh; Bhupendra Patel of Gujarat; Bhajan Lal Sharma of Rajasthan; Manik Saha of Tripura; Pushkar Singh Dhami of Uttrakhand.
Satya Kumar Yadav, Health Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Biyuram Wahge, Health Minister of Arunachal Pradesh; Ashok Singhal, Health Minister of Assam; Arti Rao, Health Minister of Haryana; Sakeena Itoo, Health Minister of Jammu & Kashmir; Dr (Col) Dhani Ram Shandil, Health Minister of Himachal Pradesh; Vishwajit P Rane, Health Minister of Goa; Dinesh Gundu Rao, Health Minister of Karnataka; P Paiwang Konyak, Health Minister of Nagaland; Dr Mukesh Mahaling, Health Minister of Odisha; Dr Balbir Singh, Health Minister of Punjab; Veena George, Health Minister of Kerala; Ma Subramanian, Health Minister of Tamil Nadu; Irfan Ansari, Health Minister of Jharkhand; Damodar Rajanarasimha, Health Minister of Telangana; Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, Health Minister of Meghalaya; P Lalrinpuii, Health Minister of Mizoram and Ramakant Goswami, Labour Minister of Delhi, were present in the meeting.
