India’s TB programme provides nutritional aid to over 75 lakh patients via DBT: Mandaviya
1 min read . Updated: 25 May 2023, 02:22 PM IST
PremiumThe minister highlighted the country’s efforts to reach out to overlooked patients and address the social stigma related to tuberculosis
New Delhi: Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday highlighted India’s commitment to mitigating the impacts of tuberculosis (TB) by establishing the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana which provides monthly nutritional support to over 75 lakh patients through direct benefit transfer. The scheme has allocated more than $244 million since its 2018 launch.
Delivering the keynote address at a Quad plus side event on tuberculosis during the 76th World Health Assembly being held in Geneva, Mandaviya emphasized India’s unique approach to estimating TB impact, using a mathematically based model to calculate disease burden prior to the annual World Health Organization report.
From 2015 to 2022, India observed a 13% decrease in TB cases, exceeding the global reduction of 10%. TB death rate in the country also fell by 15% in the same timeframe, surpassing the worldwide drop of 5.9%, according to the union health ministry.
The minister highlighted the country’s efforts to reach out to overlooked patients and address the social stigma related to TB. The Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (PMTBMBA), India’s community engagement program, supports TB patients throughout their treatment. This initiative, with about 78,000 donors known as Ni-kshay Mitras, has pledged to aid approximately one million patients, generating an estimated $146 million annually.
At the recent One World TB Summit, India launched a family-centric TB care model, a shorter TB Preventive Treatment (TPT), and the TB-Free Panchayat initiative, rewarding local governments for their anti-TB measures. Stressing the need for an efficient TB vaccine, Mandaviya said that international cooperation and patient-focused innovation were essential to meeting the UN’s 2030 TB eradication goals. He assured India’s willingness to share its experience and learn from others in the global fight against TB.