Tuberculosis (TB) control activities have been implemented in the country for more than 50 years. The National TB Programme (NTP) was launched by the Government of India in 1962 in the form of District TB Centre model involved with BCG vaccination and TB treatment.
About Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program
- To eliminate TB in India by 2025, five years ahead of the global target, a framework to guide the activities of all stakeholders was formulated by RNTCP as National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis Elimination 2017-2025.
- India is the highest TB burden country in the world, accounting for nearly 23% of the global incidence. In 2014, out of the estimated global annual incidence of 9.6 million TB cases; 2.2 million were estimated to have occurred in India.
- Elimination of TB has been integrated into the four strategic pillars of “Detect – Treat – Prevent – Build” (DTPB).
- Detect
. Notification of all TB patients from all health care providers has been made mandatory by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare since 2012.
. To facilitate TB notification, RNTCP has developed a case-based web-based TB surveillance system called “NIKSHAY” for both government and private health care facilities.
. Free drugs and diagnostic tests are provided to TB patients seeking treatment from the private health sector. There are two approaches: access to programme provided drugs and diagnostics through attractive linkages and reimbursement of market available drugs and diagnostics.
- Treat
. TB drugs in the form of daily fixed dose combinations (FDCs) for all TB cases is advised with the support of directly observed treatment (DOT).
. Nikshya Poshak Yojana: It is a centrally sponsored scheme under National Health Mission (NHM), financial incentive of Rs.500/- per month is provided for nutritional support to each notified TB patient for duration for which the patient is on anti-TB treatment.
- Prevent
. Air borne infection control measures
. Contact tracing
. Isoniazid preventive therapy
. BCG vaccination
. Addressing social determinants of TB like poverty, malnutrition, urbanization, indoor air pollution.
- Build
Health system strengthening for TB control under the National Strategic Plan 2017-2025 is recommended in the form of building and strengthening enabling policies, empowering institutions and human resources with enhanced capacities.
