Nadda Engages Tamil Nadu MPs to Advance India’s Push Toward a TB-Mukt Bharat

The Minister highlighted India’s significant gains: TB incidence has fallen 21 per cent, from 237 to 187 cases per lakh population between 2015 and 2024, nearly double the global rate of decline.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda convened a focused engagement with Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu, reinforcing the pivotal role of elected representatives in accelerating India’s progress toward eliminating tuberculosis under the initiative “Parliamentarians Championing a TB-Mukt Bharat.” Held at the Extended Parliament House Annexe (EPHA) during the Winter Session, the meeting is part of an ongoing series of regional interactions with MPs across the country—having earlier engaged parliamentarians from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.

The session underscored that political leadership remains central to driving community mobilisation, reducing stigma, ensuring early diagnosis, and enabling timely treatment—factors that are fundamental to achieving India’s ambitious goal of eliminating TB by 2025, five years ahead of global SDG timelines.

Renewed Political Commitment to End TB in India

Welcoming MPs and senior health officials, Shri Nadda emphasised that TB continues to be a global public health threat, but India has demonstrated strong leadership through sustained political will, scientific advancements, and people-centric interventions under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Under the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, India has transformed TB elimination from a programme-driven initiative into a mass movement rooted in Jan Bhagidari.

The Minister highlighted India’s significant gains: TB incidence has fallen 21 per cent, from 237 to 187 cases per lakh population between 2015 and 2024, nearly double the global rate of decline. Mortality has reduced by 25 per cent, and national treatment coverage now exceeds 92 per cent. These improvements have been supported by a robust strategy prioritising early case detection, upfront NAAT testing, expanded surveillance in high-risk populations, and community-driven engagement at scale.

Innovations Transforming TB Care in India

Shri Nadda noted India’s emergence as an innovation leader, citing the deployment of AI-enabled handheld X-ray devices, which have expanded early detection capacities in resource-limited and hard-to-reach settings. The nationwide NAAT network, now numbering over 9,300 machines, ensures block-level access to rapid, accurate diagnosis.

He also highlighted the shift toward shorter, patient-friendly regimens such as BPaL-M, which have reduced treatment duration for drug-resistant TB from 9–12 months to just six months, significantly easing patient burden and improving adherence.

Nutrition remains a vital pillar: under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, monthly nutritional support has been doubled from ₹500 to ₹1,000, with over ₹4,400 crore transferred directly to 1.3 crore beneficiaries since 2018. These measures aim to address both the medical and socio-economic dimensions of TB care.

Tamil Nadu’s Progress and Persistent Challenges

Commending Tamil Nadu for its consistent performance in TB control, the Union Minister acknowledged the State’s strong institutional systems and active community participation. He noted, however, that gaps remain among populations living in urban slums, tribal settlements, migrant clusters, and unorganised industrial sectors. Rising co-morbidities such as diabetes, along with risk factors including tobacco consumption and alcoholism, also heighten vulnerability in the State.

Tamil Nadu’s active Jan Bhagidari model, driven by MPs, MLAs, Panchayati Raj Institutions, and MY Bharat volunteers, was appreciated as a replicable example of community ownership. Shri Nadda urged full utilisation of volunteers for awareness campaigns, contact tracing, screening drives, and patient support initiatives.

He also emphasised that increased TB notifications reflect improved programme effectiveness, not rising disease burden, underscoring that early detection is central to breaking transmission and preventing deaths.

Call to Action for Tamil Nadu’s Parliamentarians

Shri Nadda encouraged MPs to intensify their leadership role by:

• prioritising TB discussions in DISHA meetings,

• conducting regular field visits to health facilities and TB units,

• supporting optimal deployment of handheld X-ray devices,

• interacting with patients and frontline workers to identify gaps,

• mobilising local resources and encouraging more Nikshay Mitras,

• strengthening surveillance among vulnerable groups, and

• advocating differentiated models of care tailored to urban and rural contexts.

He reiterated that MPs serve as catalysts for community confidence and behavioural change, making them indispensable to the mission’s success.

Strengthening Convergence and State-Level Collaboration

Senior officials including Smt. Aradhana Patnaik, Mission Director, National Health Mission, provided detailed updates on national and State-level metrics, strategies to accelerate TB elimination, and opportunities for tighter coordination between parliamentary representatives, State health departments, and district-level leadership.

The discussion emphasised strengthening cross-sectoral synergy, enhancing access to diagnostics and treatment, and scaling innovations to districts with persistent case loads.

Tamil Nadu MPs Reaffirm Commitment to a TB-Mukt Bharat

Parliamentarians from Tamil Nadu welcomed the dialogue and pledged sustained support to the national elimination drive. They committed to working more closely with communities, enabling early identification of cases, ensuring treatment completion, and supporting the welfare of TB-affected individuals.

Their collective resolve signals a strong political momentum that will significantly bolster India’s mission to achieve a TB-Mukt Bharat, ensuring that every person—regardless of geography or socio-economic status—receives timely, dignified, and comprehensive TB care.