Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday, June 24 released the annual tuberculosis report listing the achievements of the central government’s efforts to defeat the disease. The report was released in the presence of MoS Ashwini Choubey via a virtual event.
As per the report, the government has committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) goal of eliminating tuberculosis in the country by 2025, five years ahead of the global target.
While speaking at the event, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “To align with the ambitious goal, the programme has been renamed from Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) to National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP).”
Dr. Vardhan added that about 6,64,584 TB patients were notified by the private sector in 2019 which amounts to a 22 percent increase in TB notification as compared to the year 2018. “We need to come together to fight against TB and the stigma surrounding it,” he said.
Tripura and Nagaland were best-performing in the category of states having less than 50 lakh population. Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu were selected as the best performing Union Territories.
“The ranking will surely encourage all states and UTs to improve their performance to attain their targets. Early accurate diagnosis followed by prompt appropriate treatment is vital for ending TB. The National TB Elimination Programme has expanded both the laboratory network as well as diagnostic facilities to cover the entire country,” Vardhan said.
