New Delhi/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level review meeting on the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) at his residence in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Lauding the significant progress made in early detection and treatment of TB patients in 2024, the Prime Minister called for scaling up successful strategies nationwide, reaffirming India’s commitment to eliminating TB from India.

PM Modi reviewed the recently concluded 100-Day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, covering high-focus districts wherein 12.97 crore vulnerable individuals were screened; 7.19 lakh TB cases detected, including 2.85 lakh asymptomatic TB cases.

Over 1 lakh new Ni-kshay Mitras joined the effort during the campaign, which has been a model for Jan Bhagidari that can be accelerated and scaled across the country to drive a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to analyse the trends of TB patients based on urban or rural areas, and also based on their occupations.

This will help identify groups that need early testing and treatment, especially workers in construction, mining, textile mills, and similar fields.

PM Modi said that since TB is now curable with regular treatment, there should be less fear and more awareness among the public.

He highlighted the importance of cleanliness through Jan Bhagidari as a key step in eliminating TB. He urged efforts to personally reach out to each patient to ensure they get proper treatment.

During the meeting, Prime Minister noted the encouraging findings of the WHO Global TB Report 2024, which affirmed an 18% reduction in TB incidence (from 237 to 195 per lakh population between 2015 and 2023), which is double the global pace; 21% decline in TB mortality (from 28 to 22 per lakh population) and 85% treatment coverage, reflecting the programme’s growing reach and effectiveness.

He reviewed key infrastructure enhancements, including expansion of the TB diagnostic network to 8,540 NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing) labs and 87 culture & drug susceptibility labs; over 26,700 X-ray units, including 500 AI-enabled handheld X-ray devices, with another 1,000 in the pipeline.

The decentralization of all TB services, including free screening, diagnosis, treatment, and nutrition support at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, was also highlighted.

Prime Minister was apprised of introduction of several new initiatives such as AI driven hand-held X-rays for screening, shorter treatment regimen for drug resistant TB, newer indigenous molecular diagnostics, nutrition interventions and screening and early detection in congregate settings like mines, tea garden, construction sites, urban slums, etc.