The Health Ministry’s 100-day intensified TB Mukt Bharat campaign has screened 5.63 crore vulnerable people and notified 1.59 lakh new TB patients from 347 districts, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda in Parliament on Friday.
The 100-day campaign, which started on December 7, 2024, and will continue till March 24, aims to end TB five years ahead of the global target. The campaign targets 347 high-priority districts across 33 States/UTs.
“Since the launch of the 100-day intensified TB elimination campaign in 347 districts, 4.94 lakh Ni-kshay Shivirs (screening camps) have been held, 5.63 crore vulnerable individuals have been screened, and 1.59 lakh new TB patients have been notified,” Nadda said in a written response in Lok Sabha.
He informed that 86,748 new Ni-kshay Mitras have been registered and 1.12 lakh food baskets have been disbursed to TB patients and their family members.
Ni-kshay Mitras can be individuals, NGOs, cooperative societies, faith-based organizations, corporates, political parties, and others. A Mitra can adopt at least one consenting TB patient undergoing treatment for a minimum period of six months to provide any kind of support they choose.
Further, the Union Health Minister said that 38 of the total campaign districts are tribal, 27 are mining districts, and 46 are aspirational districts.
“The campaign follows a renewed approach to finding missing TB cases, reducing TB deaths, and preventing new cases,” he said.
Nadda added that the government has also organized special outreach camps to screen vulnerable populations and offer X-ray and Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) tests, either through mobile medical vans or by mobilizing them to the nearest health facility equipped with X-ray services.
All TB-related services have been decentralized to the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs to ensure equitable access, Nadda said.
Campaign-specific information, education, and communication (IEC) materials have been developed and disseminated to educate the public and raise awareness about TB symptoms, prevention, and the importance of timely treatment in the campaign states and UTs, including Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.
Jan Bhagidari activities are being implemented with the involvement of schools, Panchayati Raj institutions, self-help groups, Anganwadis, local NGOs, and civil society organizations, the minister said, adding that 22 government departments have been sensitized to actively support the implementation of campaign activities.
In addition, the ministry has sensitized MPs, Chief Ministers, and state health ministers on the campaign, Nadda stated.
“The 100-day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan in priority districts is fully aligned with the long-term TB elimination strategies of prevention, early detection, prompt treatment, and reduction of TB-related mortality,” Nadda said.
The long-term strategies for TB elimination include mapping vulnerable populations, screening with highly sensitive tools like chest X-rays, upfront NAAT tests for all presumptive TB cases, and differentiated TB care for managing high-risk TB cases.
(Inputs from IANS)
