Resources

India has the highest global Tuberculosis (TB) burden (WHO, 2020) and the nation is committed to ending the TB epidemic by 2025, five years ahead of the SDG target timeline. The National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) is dedicated to channelizing efforts towards achieving this goal. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on the efforts made toward eliminating TB. In 2019, 24 lakh patients were notified through the Nikshay national digital information system under the program, while the same in 2020 was 18 lakhs, a decrease of 25%. India still stands among the top five countries that account for more than half of global missing cases.

Tribal people (10.4 Cr, 8.6% of the total population) have a higher prevalence (703 per 100,000) of TB compared to the national average (256 per 100,000). 10.4% of all TB notified patients are from tribal communities. The National TB program has prioritized this subgroup of the population through Tribal Action Plans since 2005. However, access, availability, and utilization of TB care services in these communities are hindered by geographical barriers, the poor state of social determinants, high impact of malnutrition, insufficient community involvement, health system constraints including lack of trained human resources, cultural and communication gaps between the care provider and the community, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has probably further worsened the situation.

This note shares about the Tribal TB initiative, a unique partnership between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to improve the cascade of TB care and support services among Tribal Populations in India. The technical assistance for this initiative will be provided by USAID.

To read more about the initiative, please click the linked file.