Govt accelerates efforts to make J&K TB-free by 2025

Srinagar, Feb 28: The Health Department Kashmir is actively working towards achieving the target of eliminating tuberculosis (TB) by the end of this year, in alignment with the national goal—five years ahead of the global target.
Officials said that enhanced testing, surveillance of high-risk patients, and increased public awareness campaigns are key strategies being implemented to meet this ambitious deadline.
“People have to come forward and they should not hesitate to report their symptoms. Testing, diagnosis, and treatment are completely free of cost. Our goal is to achieve a TB-free Kashmir by the end of 2025, in line with the national target for TB elimination,” said State Tuberculosis Officer, Kashmir, Dr. Adfar Qadri during a media workshop organized by the State TB Cell in collaboration with the District TB Centre Srinagar at Dalgate.
She said that since 2015, the number of TB cases has been steadily declining, with modern testing facilities expanding each year. Additionally, the death rate has also shown a significant decrease.
Qadri said that high-risk TB patients have been placed under strict surveillance, an initiative launched in July 2024 to ensure early detection and timely treatment.
As part of intensified awareness efforts, she said the department is now set to target schools and colleges to educate students about TB prevention and symptoms.
She stressed on community participation, encouraging people to adopt TB patients and support their nutritional needs, which plays a crucial role in their recovery and well-being.
Notably, on December 08, the Health Department launched the nation-wide 100-day campaign on TB elimination under National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) that will conclude on 24 March.
This year, 347 districts across 33 States/UTs were selected based on indicators like death rate, presumptive TB examination and incidence rate as compared to the national average. This campaign is designed to strengthen programmatic activities to improve TB outcomes across the country.
“This campaign holds great importance as TB is not only a health issue but also a major social and economic burden, particularly affecting the most vulnerable segments of our society,” she said.
As part of the campaign, health teams are conducting active case findings by visiting high-risk and vulnerable populations, including malnourished individuals, diabetic, smokers, cancer patients, tribal communities and other at-risk groups.
Dr Adfar said out of the ten districts in the valley, five districts that include Budgam, Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian have already been declared TB-free.
“Three districts that include Srinagar, Ganderbal and Kupwara, have already received Gold certification under the Sub-National Certification and Baramulla and Bandipora have got bronze certification. UT Jammu and Kashmir has got Bronze,” she said.
She also stated that the nutritional support provided to patients through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000.
Doctors said the directorate has initiated treatment of latent TB infection and is working to identify contacts of infected patients, which can significantly curb the spread of the disease.
The Health Ministry has set a target of reducing the incidence of new TB cases by 80 percent to end TB by 2025 while efforts toward TB elimination vary across States/Districts.