TB patients got unhindered support despite pandemic constraints: MoS Health

Efforts made by NTEP led to significant improvements in time-to-diagnosis, treatment adherence and outcomes, Bharati Pravin Pawar said.

Despite the pandemic, India has managed to scale up access to free rapid molecular diagnostics and treatment for tuberculosis while financial and nutritional support to affected patients continued without any hindrance, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Tuesday.

Efforts made by the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) led to significant improvements in time-to-diagnosis, treatment adherence and outcomes, Ms. Pawar said as she chaired the brainstorming session on “Strategies for Ending TB by 2025”, a Health Ministry statement said.

Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to eliminate TB in India by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of 2030, Ms. Pawar said, “We have a mere 37 months before the deadline to end TB in the country. We need to shift gears and come up with innovative solutions to make up for the setbacks due to COVID-19 and move beyond.” As proper diagnosis and prompt treatment are key to TB elimination, the NTEP is working towards accelerating universal TB care coverage and preventive services in the country.