NewzVille Desk
“TB treatment coverage in India has increased from 59% to 85%”, said the Union Health Minister J P Nadda while addressing a gathering at the World TB Day 2025 Summit today in New Delhi.
The theme for this year’s World TB Day summit is “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver”.
Nadda informed that 12.97 crore people were screened for TB with 7.19 lakh new cases detected. Among the notified TB cases, approximately 2.85 lakh were asymptomatic cases who might have otherwise gone undetected without the stratified screening strategy of the campaign. More than 5,000 MLAs and 10,000 Gram Panchayats participated in the campaign. Citing these successes, he announced the Ministry’s plans to scale the campaign nationwide.
Stating that TB is not over yet, he announced further scaling up of the TB elimination campaign to cover all districts in India.
The Union Minister reaffirmed India’s unwavering commitment to achieving a TB-Mukt Bharat. He lauded the 100 Days Intensified TB Elimination campaign’s strategy to deploy cutting-edge technologies, including handheld X-ray units and upfront Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAAT) some of which were deployed using mobile vans (Nikshay Vahans). This helped the campaign shatter geographical barriers and brought vital screening and diagnostic services to remote and underserved areas.
He mentioned that over 13.46 lakh Nikshay Shivirs, or community screening and awareness camps were organised in the districts bringing essential TB services directly to the doorsteps of crores of people.
Minister Nadda stated that India is one of the top global funders on TB research and congratulated ICMR for their significant research on TB.
He highlighted some innovations like RT-PCR machines used during the Covid pandemic which is adapted for use in TB screening.
Similarly, indigenous diagnostic kits developed by ICMR not only reduce the cost for TB detection but also improve efficiency by conducting 32 tests in one go. “Hand held x-ray machines with AI support have also played a huge role in detecting asymptomatic TB”, he added.
A digital Coffee Table Book on TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, capturing and showcasing the implementation of the Abhiyaan through photos from the field, was unveiled on the occasion. The Union Health Minister also launched a ‘Guidance Document on Differentiated TB Care’ to ensure timely and effective care for high-risk patients
Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava in her address said, “World TB Day is a day where we remind ourselves that this disease still exists while we can eliminate it”.
She further stated that this is a day to chart out our task ahead. “All our stakeholders have put in a lot of effort towards the goal of eliminating TB and this should continue until we achieve the goal of TB Mukt Bharat”, she added.
Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and DG, ICMR; Dr Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services (DGHS); Smt. Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission; and senior officials of the Union Health Ministry were present on the occasion.
The event also witnessed participation from NTEP Staff from State and Districts, TB Champions, District Magistrates, District Collectors, MD NHMs, Medical Institutions, Civil society, WHO Consultants and development partners.
