Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda chaired a review meeting of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and 100-day campaign with the Government of NCT of Delhi. The Minister emphasized that tuberculosis elimination cannot be achieved by the health system in isolation and called for a people's movement with active participation from communities, public representatives, and civil society. He stressed that implementation must be based on cooperation rather than working in isolation, reiterating the vision articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent PRAGATI meeting.
Shri Nadda directed that Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies, and Municipal Councillors should be regularly apprised by health officials about the TB burden in their respective constituencies. He called for every ward to have a designated Senior Government officer to monitor campaign progress and urged greater participation of MY Bharat volunteers to strengthen grassroots mobilization. The Minister highlighted the role of technology in TB detection, stating that support would be provided for more handheld X-ray machines integrated with Artificial Intelligence to facilitate early diagnosis and improve case detection.
Additional Secretary & Mission Director Aradhana Patnaik presented the program review, explaining that AI-driven vulnerability mapping using more than 30 region-specific indicators has identified 1.58 lakh high-risk villages and wards nationally. For Delhi, the mapping narrowed the focus to 38 wards across 11 districts that together account for over 80% of the city's high-risk TB burden. Operational achievements in Delhi include screening 28.83 lakh people, conducting 21.67 lakh chest X-rays, performing 3.65 lakh molecular (NAAT) tests, and notifying 1.75 lakh TB patients.
Patnaik suggested that Delhi work towards providing upfront NAAT testing for all presumptive and drug-resistant TB cases alongside X-ray screening, 100% assessment of TB patients for differentiated care, scaling of TB Preventive Treatment for household contacts and other vulnerable groups, and continued expansion of Ni-kshay Mitras and MY Bharat volunteers to provide psychosocial support. The meeting called for strengthening coordination with Resident Welfare Associations, ward committees, and elected representatives to ensure wider public outreach and participation.
The review meeting was attended by Dr. Harsh Malhotra (Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Corporate Affairs), Shri Pankaj Kumar Singh (Health Minister of NCT Delhi), Shri Parvesh Wahi (Mayor of MCD), Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava (Union Health Secretary), Shri Manoj Kumar Dwivedi (Special Secretary, Urban Development, Government of NCT), and directors of major hospitals including AIIMS New Delhi, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, and Army Hospital, along with representatives from NDMC and senior health officials.