Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: President launches Programme to Eliminate TB By 2025

President Droupadi Murmu through a virtual event, launched ‘Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ on September 9 to eradicate TB by 2025. The President requested citizens to work collectively toward TB elimination in the spirit of Jan Bhaagidari on a war footing.

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, DR. Manshuk Mandaviya, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar along with Union Ministers, Governors and Lt. Governors, State Health Ministers, and other dignitaries were present at the launch event.

The TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan event was also attended by the state and district health administrations, representatives from corporates, industries, civil society, NGOs, and TB Champions.

President Droupadi Murmu launched ‘Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’
Details: https://t.co/0wTFtwew02 pic.twitter.com/6gBYQJPFYU

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 9, 2022

What Is the Ni-kshay Mitra Initiative?

President Droupadi Murmu launched the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative to ensure additional diagnostic, nutritional, and vocational support to those on TB treatment. The Ni-kshay 2.0 portal will ease in providing extra patient support to improve treatment outcomes of TB patients, augmenting community involvement in meeting India’s commitment to end TB by 2025 and capitalizing on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) opportunities.

The virtual event highlighted India’s rapid progress through the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) owing to commitment at the highest levels. The Hon’ble President also appreciated the tireless efforts of the healthcare workers, community leaders, and individuals in overcoming the pandemic and underlined the need to adopt a similar approach to eradicate TB from the country.

With the progress made through the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, it is believed that the pivotal role of the strengthened healthcare system will help in attaining TB elimination goals. The treatment of TB, a curable disease is available for free at government health facilities. The president also motivated the elected representatives, corporates, NGOs, and people to come forward as donors to help the individuals complete their journey towards recovery.

TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: Objective

The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme(NTEP), aims to strategically reduce the TB burden in India by 2025, five years onwards of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The president said, “When a welfare scheme is made in the interest of people, its chances of success increase manifold.” In 2020, the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has been renamed the National TB Elimination Program to highlight the aim of the Government of India to eliminate TB in India by 2025.

What Does Union Health Minister Say about NTEP?

The Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan is an extension of Hon’ble Prime Minister’s citizen-centric policies,” stated the Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. He credited the success of the TB program on key indicators such as TB case notifications and consistent efforts that led to monthly notification reporting to gain pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021.

The Union Health Minister highlighted that a 360-degree approach is the cornerstone of TB elimination in India and observed that a societal approach that brings together individuals from all backgrounds into a Jan Andolan is required to attain the ambitious target of eliminating TB by 2025.

There are about 13.5 lakh TB patients registered in the Nikshay portal and about 8.9lakhs active patients have given their consent for adoption. The Ni-kshay portal will provide a platform for community support for TB patients. The Union Minister also allured all citizens, NGOs, elected representatives, corporate houses, etc to support the movement by becoming Ni-kshay Mitras and convening gatherings to discuss the program, thus no individual with TB is left behind.

TB in India

TB problem in India was first found through a resolution passed in the All India Sanitary Conference, held at Madras in 1912. The first open-air institution and treatment of TB patients were started in 1906 in Tilaunia near Ajmer. Moreover, the anti-Tb movement in the country gained momentum with the TB Association of India was established in 1939.

The National Tuberculosis Control Programme was introduced in 1962 and later after discovering a few deficiencies, the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) was developed. Later in 2020, the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has been renamed the National TB Elimination Program to eliminate TB in India by 2025.