Srinagar, Dec 13 (TKA) : Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a total of 22,196 Tuberculosis (TB) cases over the past two years, as revealed by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, in Parliament. The data shows that 11,754 cases were reported in 2023, while 10,442 cases have been documented up to October 2024.
The government is working towards eliminating TB by 2025, five years ahead of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of 2030, under the National Strategic Plan (2017-2025).
Under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), substantial progress has been achieved. The incidence rate of TB has dropped by 17.7%, from 237 cases per 100,000 population in 2015 to 195 cases per 100,000 in 2023. Similarly, TB-related deaths have decreased by 21.4%, from 28 per lakh in 2015 to 22 per lakh in 2023.
Several measures have been implemented to combat the disease. These include targeted interventions in high-burden areas, free drugs and diagnostics, active case-finding campaigns, and integration of TB services with the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The private sector has been engaged through incentives, and molecular diagnostic labs have been scaled up to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses.
Initiatives like the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana provide nutritional support to TB patients, while the Ni-kshay Mitra program offers additional aid, including nutritional, diagnostic, and vocational assistance to patients and their families. Efforts are also focused on reducing the stigma around TB, increasing community awareness, and improving case tracking through the Ni-kshay portal. Preventive treatment is being provided to high-risk groups as part of a comprehensive approach to tackling the disease.
The government’s multi-pronged strategy continues to make significant strides in the fight against tuberculosis, aiming to meet its ambitious eradication targets.
