The government will roll out a community support programme on September 9 under which tuberculosis patients can be adopted and cared for by an individual, elected representatives or institutions as part of the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.

More than 66 per cent of the TB patients presently on treatment in the country have given their consent to be adopted under the campaign. The people and institutions coming forward to take care of the patients would be called "Ni-kshay Mitra". They can adopt blocks, districts or even an individual patient and provide nutritional and treatment support to help them recover.

In line with the Prime Minister's clarion call given at the Delhi End TB Summit in March 2018 to eliminate the disease from the country five years ahead of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) target of 2030, the President will virtually launch the campaign on September 9.

As part of the programme, the Union Health Minister will adopt 15 of the 87 patients who have given their consent to be adopted in his home town of Palitana in Gujarat. "The president will also launch the 'Ni-kshay Mitra' initiative that forms a vital component of the campaign. The Ni-kshay 2.0 portal gives a platform to the donors to provide various forms of support to those undergoing TB treatment," an official source said.

The governors and lieutenant governors of the states and Union territories, along with state officials, will also be urged to take the campaign forward. The four-pronged support includes nutritional, additional diagnostic, additional nutritional supplements and vocational support. The donors could be a wide range of stakeholders from elected representatives, and political parties to corporates, NGOs, institutions and individuals.

According to official sources, of the total 13,51,611 TB patients, including the multi-drug resistant ones, presently on treatment in the country, 8,95,119 had given their consent to be adopted till September 7. Under the programme, a monthly food basket comprising three kg of rice, 1.5 kg of pulses, 250 grams of vegetable cooking oil and one kg of milk powder or six litres of milk or one kg of groundnut has been recommended for each tuberculosis patient.

Thirty eggs can also be added to the basket, according to an official source. "In addition to nutritional support, the donor organisation or individual may also provide vocational support, additional diagnostic help or nutritional supplements containing B complex vitamins, vitamin C and minerals," the source said.

Explaining the vocational support part, he said presently, 65 to 70 per cent of TB patients are in the age group of 15 to 45 years. The minimum period of commitment for providing additional support to a TB patient shall be one year, he said, adding that there are options for a support programme for two and three years. This is a voluntary initiative, he added.

The campaign would be an expansion of the Union health ministry's focus on the eradication of tuberculosis by ramping up community support. Those interested in participating in the programme can register on the Ni-kshay 2.0 portal -- communitysupport.nikshay.in -- and fill in their names, contact details, the type and duration of support and the geographic area where they want to provide the support, following which a unique ID will be generated.

An e-mail with the contact details of the district TB officer concerned to the Ni-kshay Mitra and vice versa will be sent to facilitate the discussion, planning and implementation of the support committed. 

"The involvement of the community in supporting the treatment cascade shall help in the reduction of stigma and also lead to increased awareness among the public regarding tuberculosis. The improved nutrition for TB patients shall result in better treatment outcomes. It will also lead to a reduction of the out-of-pocket expenditure for the families of the TB patients," an official said.