Missing TB Cases Reduced From 1 mn To 0.26 mn: Mansukh Mandaviya

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said that the number of missing tuberculosis (TB) cases in India has decreased from 1 million in 2015 to 0.26 million in 2023. He said these things during the ‘Stop TB’ Partnership’s 37th Board Meeting.

Our next plan will concentrate on prevention as we saturate coverage of services for TB screening and treatment, he continued, with less than two years left before India’s 2025 objective. During his speech he also stated that Tuberculosis has been a global health concern for decades.

After 2 difficult years dominated by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw an 8.7% reduction in TB incidence globally. He also stressed that in India we were able to achieve a 16% reduction, nearly double the rate.

He emphasized that by engaging the private sector in a focused and targeted manner through various initiatives, private sector notification has increased by more than 8 times in the last 9 years. In 2023, 0.84 million patients were reported from the private sector, accounting for 33%, the highest ever, of overall notifications, he added.

Jan Bhagidhari strategy, which means people’s participation, has demonstrated how the community may assist our battle tuberculosis (TB), he continued. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that the stop TB Partnership is hosted by UNOPS and is a collective force transforming the fight against TB.

Furthermore, it said that India actively promoted and addressed a number of global issues during its G20 Presidency, including enhancing the efficacy and accessibility of healthcare services through digital solutions, bolstering collaboration to enhance pharmaceutical development and manufacturing capacities, and emphasizing one health and antimicrobial resistance—all of which are closely related to India’s and the global community’s efforts to combat tuberculosis.