The Uttar Pradesh state health department is gearing up for a major public health initiative. They plan to launch a special 100-day intensive tuberculosis patient detection drive across the entire state starting in February.
Focus on High-Risk Populations
Pinky Jowel, the Managing Director of the National Health Mission, outlined the campaign's primary targets. The drive will concentrate its efforts on several vulnerable groups. These include elderly citizens, critically ill patients, prison inmates, and people living in urban slum areas.
Officials also plan to ramp up screening activities among other mobile populations. Transport workers and industrial laborers will receive increased attention during this period.
Building on Previous Success
This new campaign builds upon measurable progress from a recent initiative. An intensive TB case-finding drive has been running since December 7, 2024. Health officials report encouraging results from this ongoing effort.
"Compared to 2015 baseline data, we see a significant decline," said Pinky Jowel. "The number of TB patients per one lakh population has dropped by 17 percent. Tuberculosis-related deaths have also fallen by the same percentage."
Motivated by this positive trend, the state government decided to relaunch an intensive campaign. The Chief Minister personally directed this renewed 100-day effort beginning in February.
Comprehensive Awareness and Outreach Strategy
The medical detection drive will run parallel with a massive awareness campaign. This educational effort will span from primary schools all the way up to university campuses across Uttar Pradesh.
Dr. RP Singh Suman, the Director General of Health, issued specific instructions to health officials. He directed all additional directors and chief medical officers to actively involve public representatives.
Officials must engage leaders at every level of governance. This includes Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly, village heads, and municipal councillors. Their participation aims to strengthen community outreach and improve program monitoring.
Structured Monitoring and Community Support
The health department established a clear review mechanism. District-level meetings with local MPs are now mandated for the next two months. These review sessions will continue periodically throughout the campaign.
Community volunteers will play a crucial support role. The department will deploy 'My Bharat' volunteers and registered Nikshay Mitras across the state. These trained individuals will boost community awareness about tuberculosis symptoms and treatment. They will also provide direct support to identified patients.
Integrated Support for TB Patients
The health initiative extends beyond mere detection. The department wrote to the Skill Development Department with a specific request. They asked officials to prioritize tuberculosis patients for employment-linked training programs. This move aims to address the socioeconomic factors often associated with the disease.
Specific screening locations have been identified for focused attention. Health teams will conduct TB screening drives inside state prisons and within dense slum clusters. Frontline workers will receive special training to support this effort.
Anganwadi workers across Uttar Pradesh will undergo training to identify people showing potential TB symptoms. Their role will be to refer these individuals for proper diagnostic testing at health facilities.
The 100-day campaign represents a coordinated push to find undetected cases, provide treatment, and reduce the burden of tuberculosis in India's most populous state.
