Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Wednesday chaired two high-level review meetings with the Delhi government to assess the progress of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and review preparedness for dengue prevention and control across the national capital. He stressed greater public participation, inter-agency coordination and proactive implementation to strengthen public health efforts in the national capital.
Reviewing the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and the 100-day campaign, Nadda said that while significant progress has been made, the remaining gap between efforts and outcomes can only be bridged through Jan Bhagidari. The Union Health Minister emphasised that tuberculosis elimination cannot be achieved by the health system alone and called for it to become a people’s movement involving communities, public representatives and civil society.
Nadda said Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies and Municipal Councillors should be regularly apprised by health officials about the TB burden in their constituencies, the challenges being faced, the solutions being implemented and the role they can play in accelerating case detection, ensuring treatment adherence and mobilising community support. The minister said public representatives act as an important bridge between the government and the people and can strengthen implementation at the grassroots level.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision articulated during the recent PRAGATI meeting, Nadda said implementation should be based on cooperation rather than working in isolation. The Union Health Minister directed that every ward should have a designated senior government officer to monitor the campaign’s progress and called for greater participation of MY Bharat volunteers to strengthen grassroots mobilisation and community outreach.
Highlighting the role of technology, Nadda said support would be provided for more handheld X-ray machines integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to facilitate early diagnosis and improve TB case detection.
The minister also stressed the need for close coordination among the Union Ministry, the Delhi Government, district administration, healthcare institutions and frontline workers for effective implementation of the campaign. Nadda directed that campaign-related communication should be conveyed in simple and easily understandable language to ensure wider public outreach and participation.
The Union Health Minister further directed that regular joint review meetings involving hospitals, state health authorities and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare be convened to review progress, address implementation challenges and facilitate the timely exchange of best practices. Nadda said sustained coordination, collective ownership and Jan Bhagidari would be critical to achieving the goal of a TB-Mukt Bharat.
Presenting the programme review, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission, Aradhana Patnaik, said AI-driven vulnerability mapping using more than 30 region-specific indicators has identified 1.58 lakh high-risk villages and wards across the country. In Delhi, the exercise has identified 38 wards across 11 districts accounting for over 80 per cent of the city’s high-risk burden, enabling a precision-targeted approach.
She informed that under the campaign, Delhi has screened 28.83 lakh people, conducted 21.67 lakh chest X-rays and 3.65 lakh molecular (NAAT) tests, and notified 1.75 lakh TB patients. She also suggested providing upfront NAAT testing for all presumptive and drug-resistant TB cases alongside X-ray screening, ensuring 100 per cent assessment of TB patients for differentiated care, scaling up TB Preventive Treatment for household contacts and other eligible vulnerable groups, and expanding the network of Ni-kshay Mitras and MY Bharat volunteers. She also called for stronger coordination with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), ward committees and elected representatives.
Nadda also reviewed Delhi’s preparedness for dengue prevention and control, focusing on the epidemiological situation, hospital preparedness, surveillance systems, clinical management protocols and vector control measures.
The Union Health Minister was briefed on the dengue situation and preparedness measures being undertaken across the country, with special emphasis on Delhi. A comprehensive action plan covering disease surveillance, vector management, case detection, clinical management and public awareness was also presented.
The meeting reviewed the implementation of the National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Dengue, known as the “Octalogue”, which is based on eight pillars—surveillance, case management, vector management, outbreak response, capacity building, behaviour change communication, inter-sectoral coordination, and monitoring and supervision.
Officials informed that the Government has already undertaken several measures, including issuing advisories, conducting high-level reviews, organising training on case management, providing free diagnostic facilities, undertaking community awareness campaigns, ensuring inter-ministerial coordination and extending financial support under the National Health Mission.
Addressing the meeting, Nadda noted that dengue incidence is currently low and the mortality rate stands at 0.11 per cent, but cautioned against complacency in view of the coming months. The minister called for proactive preparedness and urged state and municipal authorities to anticipate and prepare for any potential surge in cases.
Emphasising “Jan Chetna through Jan Bhagidari”, Nadda called upon states to actively involve Ward Commissioners, elected representatives and Resident Welfare Associations in awareness and prevention activities. The Union Health Minister also advocated intensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns, including special drives in schools, labour camps and dengue-prone areas.
Nadda directed intensified vector control in areas reporting increased fever cases, strengthened entomological surveillance to identify hotspots, and enhanced fever surveillance across affected areas.
The minister also called for ensuring hospital preparedness by maintaining dedicated wards, adequate beds, blood components, diagnostics, drugs and insecticides, while keeping Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals and other public and private hospitals on alert. Nadda stressed the need for Rapid Response Teams to remain on standby, timely reporting of cases on the IHIP-VBD portal by all hospitals, including private facilities, and daily district-level review meetings to monitor outbreaks and response measures.
The Union Health Minister further emphasised strengthening inter-sectoral coordination among municipal bodies, railways, cantonment boards, public health engineering and health departments to support sanitation and vector control drives. Nadda also called for scaling up community engagement during the “Anti Dengue Month” being observed in July through extensive IEC campaigns promoting preventive measures such as the use of mosquito nets and full-sleeved clothing, while leveraging schools, RWAs, market associations, community leaders, self-help groups and youth clubs for awareness activities.
The review meetings were attended by Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, MCD Mayor Parvesh Wahi, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, Special Secretary (Urban Development), Government of NCT of Delhi, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, directors of AIIMS New Delhi, Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Army Hospital, representatives from NDMC, and senior officials of the Union and Delhi governments.
