Nadda urges MPs to monitor TB drives in their constituencies

Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Tuesday urged MPs to monitor the TB elimination campaign in their respective constituencies, help raise awareness and reduce stigma around the disease and mobilise the community to actively participate in the drive.
He was interacting with Members of Parliament on the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan at the Extended Parliament House Annexe (EPHA) Auditorium.
Today marked the first of a series of interactions with parliamentarians, with a special focus on MPs from Uttar Pradesh, a statement by the health ministry said.
MPs from the state attended the event and pledged their commitment to advancing the campaign and driving community mobilisation efforts within their constituencies, it said.
The Union minister highlighted that India’s TB incidence (new cases emerging each year) reduced by 21 per cent from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh population in 2024, almost double the pace of the decline observed globally at 12 per cent as per the World Health Organization’s Global TB Report 2025.
“Similarly, India’s TB mortality rate has decreased from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 21 per lakh population in 2024, reflecting significant progress in reducing deaths due to TB,” he added.
The MPs were informed about several novel interventions that have been rolled out in the last ten years, including swift uptake of new technologies like AI-enabled hand-held chest x-ray machines and Truenat machines, adoption of more effective shorter treatment regimen, decentralisation of TB care through the network of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, community engagement, etc.
Nadda noted the importance of further penetration of TB screening services and awareness generation at the ground level for the success of the TB elimination efforts and encouraged the MPs to support these efforts in order to make it a “Jan Andolan” (public movement).
The MPs were informed about the campaign objectives, key activities being undertaken, and their role in supporting the campaign.
Addressing the gathering, Nadda underscored the important leadership roles of the MPs in achieving the goal of TB elimination.
He was joined by B L Verma, MoS, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment; Pankaj Chaudhury, MoS, Ministry of Finance; Kamlesh Paswan, MoS, Ministry of Rural Development; Jitin Prasada, MoS, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Electronics and Information Technology and Kirti Vardhan Singh, MoS, Ministry of External Affairs, Environment, Forest and Climate Change.