Patient Support
Government Initiatives
Providing accurate information to patients, caregivers, and the community at large about TB diagnosis and treatment is imperative to fight TB, and the government is leading it from the front. ‘India Fights TB’ aims to support government by congregating all the information related to TB and present it to information seekers through an effective communication strategy.
The government has been actively working towards eradicating TB and has come up with various schemes over the years to make sure that TB patients have the assistance of highly specialized doctors and have access to free treatment from various DOT (Directly Observed Therapy) centres all across the country. Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) ensures that the patient takes his/her medicine under the direct supervision of a health worker to make sure that the patient has not been missing any dose.
Useful information about the government schemes toward TB eradication from India is as follows
National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP)
The National Tuberculosis Elimination Program, previously known as the Revised National TB Control Program, was renamed in 2020 to emphasize the point that the government aims to eliminate the disease. The scheme aims to drastically reduce the burden of tuberculosis in India by 2025. The scheme also aims to integrate the private sector as well within the scheme to identify all TB patients, who are seeking treatment from the government sector or the private one. The scheme also aims to identify undiagnosed cases of TB within populations that are most prone to the disease. DOT centres established at many government health care centres also ensure that the treatment is properly administered under the supervision of highly trained and specialized doctors.
Nutritional Support to TB Patients (NikshayPoshan Yojana)
This scheme aims to ensure that a TB patient gets a nutritious diet. This is a financial incentive for all notified TB patients to ensure that they are eating healthily. An amount of ₹500/per month is awarded to each notified TB patient from April 1, 2018, onwards. Every notified patient who was still under treatment till April 1, 2018, will receive the financial incentive as long as the treatment lasts. To receive the benefit, the patient must be under treatment on April 1, 2018, and must continue to be under treatment for a month or more from the aforesaid date. The scheme falls under the Direct Benefit Transfer, where the patient can receive the amount directly into his Aadhar card-linked bank account.
