Kolkata: Under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has screened over five lakh slum dwellers in the city during 2024 while a sum of Rs 1.61 crore direct benefit transfer (DBT) was given to the patients.
KMC has allocated Rs 180 crore approximately to the Health department in its Budget for the financial year 2025-26. Among several of its other initiatives, one of the primary objectives of the civic body’s Health department is screening people for tuberculosis (TB).
As per data shared by KMC, a total of 5,75,498 slum population was screened for TB, 1,290 sputum tests were done and 57 patients were diagnosed through active case finding.
Presently, there are 11 CBNAAT labs and 15 True NAAT labs for testing. Out of a total of 26,289 CBNAAT tests done, 3,287 drug sensitive (DS) cases and 402 drug resistant (DR) cases were diagnosed. Out of 19,458 True NAAT tests done, 2,109 DS cases and 118 DR cases were detected.
A health official said that the dwindling number of drug resistant cases is a positive sign since DS cases can be treated with specific drugs unlike
DR cases whose management is complex. KMC has also facilitated DBT of Rs 16167500 to TB patients. An amount of Rs 1291000 incentive was given to private practitioners/hospitals for TB reporting.
According to a 2024 report by the Ministry of Health, TB case notification targets increased from 78 per cent in 2022 to 99 per cent in 2023 in Bengal.
The civic body has started the CyTB intradermal test to detect TB infection in Kolkata.
A 100 days campaign ‘TB Mukto Bangla’ was started from December 2024 with a target of screening
five lakh population.