National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP)
Tamil Nadu has strengthened the TB elimination program through strong surveillance systems, diagnostic infrastructure and integrated healthcare services that enable early TB detection and treatment for both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB.
Program Infrastructure in Tamil Nadu
461
1951
450+
District TB Officers and specialized program teams ensure effective implementation, timely diagnostics and uninterrupted drug supply across all districts in Tamil Nadu.
Performance in TB Elimination
As of the second quarter of 2024:
- TB Notification Rate: 124 per 100,000 population
- Treatment Success Rate: 85%
- Universal Drug Sensitivity Testing (UDST): 94% coverage among microbiologically confirmed patients
Private sector participation has significantly increased TB notifications, growing from 44% in 2017 to 89% in Q2 2024, reflecting strong public–private collaboration.
TB Case Notification Performance
| Year | Public | Private | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Achieved | Target | Achieved | Target | Achieved | |
| 2022 | 88,600 | 71,975 (81%) | 31,400 | 22,099 (70%) | 1,20,000 | 94,071 (78%) |
| 2023 | 90,690 | 64,744 (71%) | 29,310 | 31,075 (106%) | 1,20,000 | 95,819 (80%) |
| 2024 (Jan–Aug) | 51,333 | 42,111 (82%) | 22,000 | 20,394 (93%) | 73,333 | 62,505 (85%) |
Addressing Drug Resistant TB
Drug-resistant TB remains a major challenge. During the second quarter of 2024:
- 8,503 presumptive DR-TB cases were tested.
- 637 DR-TB patients were diagnosed.
- Treatment success rate has improved to above 70%.
Nikshay Poshan Yojana
Under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, a nutritional support incentive of ₹500 per month is provided to all notified TB patients during their treatment period.
New Initiatives
- Screening for severe illness at the time of TB diagnosis.
- Comprehensive patient assessment and inpatient care where required.
- Active case finding using mobile diagnostic units.
- Introduction of shorter TB preventive treatment in 2023.
Awards and Recognition
- Subnational Certification for TB reduction under the SDG Framework.
- Thiruvannamalai district received Bronze Medal (2020).
- Silver Awards (2021–22) for Kanniyakumari, Karur, Nagapattinam, Namakkal, Villupuram and Sivagangai districts.
- The Nilgiris district achieved 80% reduction in TB incidence from baseline levels.
Public–Private Partnership
The NTEP program collaborates closely with NGOs and private healthcare providers to improve TB detection, treatment adherence and patient support through strong public–private partnerships.