Union minister J.P. Nadda praises country's progress on decline in tuberculosis mortality rate

According to an official PIB Delhi report, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has praised India's remarkable progress in reducing the mortality rate of tuberculosis (TB) and reiterated the resolve for a 'TB-free India'. According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, India has recorded its highest-ever 38 percent decline in TB mortality since 2015, which is even higher than the global decline of 35 percent. Additionally, the treatment success rate among drug-sensitive TB patients has stood at 94 percent.

Calling these results encouraging, the Union Health Minister expressed the government's commitment that no TB patient is left behind. He emphasized the importance of technology, public participation and comprehensive patient-centric care in accelerating progress towards a 'TB-free India'. The WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO) has also acknowledged India's achievements, stating on social media that India is making a significant contribution to reducing tuberculosis mortality in the WHO South-East Asia region.

Mr Nadda stated in his message that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's fight against TB has become a nationwide mass movement driven by technology, public participation and patient-centric care. He stated that the country's TB elimination efforts have been strengthened due to continuous investment in early diagnosis, advanced diagnostics, nutritional support and community mobilization. Drawing attention to the scale of the TB-Free India Campaign, he said that over 25 crore people have been covered under intensive TB screening, which includes over 11 crore chest X-rays and 3 crore molecular tests. As a result of these efforts, 48.64 lakh TB cases have been detected, which include nearly 15 lakh asymptomatic cases.

The Union Minister also underlined the role of AI-enabled diagnostics, nutritional support under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana and the dedicated efforts of Ni-kshay Mitras in strengthening TB care and supporting patients. According to the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, the estimated TB mortality rate has declined from 28 deaths per lakh population in 2015 to 18 deaths per lakh population in 2025. Under the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP), a 94 percent treatment success rate has been achieved due to improvements in diagnosis, treatment delivery, patient follow-up and comprehensive support.

This progress in India is supported by proactive case finding, technology-enabled screening and a continuous shift towards patient-centric care. Launched in December 2024 as a 100-day intensive campaign and later expanded nationwide, the TB-Free India Campaign has strengthened reach among vulnerable and high-risk populations. Another intensive campaign launched in March 2026 has continued to focus on early diagnosis and timely treatment.

The identification of 14.97 lakh asymptomatic TB cases is particularly notable, demonstrating the effectiveness of proactive screening in detecting infection in individuals who do not display typical symptoms. Technological innovations such as AI-enabled portable digital chest X-rays, rapid molecular diagnostic technology and the Ni-kshay digital platform have strengthened screening and diagnosis. These interventions are complemented by nutritional support under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana and community support through the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative.

Community participation has become an integrated feature of India's TB response. In the year 2025, 67,933 panchayats were declared TB-free, demonstrating the growing rural involvement in the national elimination effort. The Josh Teams initiative is bringing together government officials, NCC cadets and My Bharat volunteers to support local-level awareness and outreach.