RNTCP gets a name change, now called National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP)
New Delhi: With an aim of stepping up its efforts of elimination of the menace of Tuberculosis in India, the central government has announced to new nomenclature to its national TB eradication program.
With this Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) will now be called National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP).
Announcement to this effect was recently made by the Sanjeev Kumar Special Secretary Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GOI, in a letter to all the State Chief Secretaries of states and UTs.
In his letter, Sajeev Kumar integrated the commitment of the Union government to achieving the sustainable development goal of ending TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global targets.
This implies targeting an 80 per cent reduction in incidence and 90 per cent reduction in mortality (base line 2015),
" In view of this ambitious target, a change in the name of the programme, representative of the ultimate goal of eliminating TB diseases, was thought to be necessary," he said.
"Therefore, with the approval of competent authority, it has been decided that henceforth the ‘Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) shall be for all intent and purposes known as ‘National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP)’, the letter added.
The task by TB elimination in India is indeed a herculean task. As per the latest Global TB report, the estimated number of new TB cases in India was 2.69 million. The total number of notified TB patients stood at 21,55,894 in 2018
Besides this, India has the largest number of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cases, 27 per cent of the global total.
At the same time, continuous efforts have been leading to better results. Deaths due to tuberculosis (TB) have reduced by 19 per cent from 5,57,000 in 2010 to 4,49,000 in 2018, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has informed the Lok Sabha earlier last month.
To further achieve the targets, the health ministry is implementing a National Strategic Plan (2017-25) by strengthening the existing interventions, and focusing on key initiatives which include early diagnosis of TB patients, prompt treatment with quality-assured drugs and treatment regimens along with suitable patient support system to promote adherence.
With this Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) will now be called National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP).
Announcement to this effect was recently made by the Sanjeev Kumar Special Secretary Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GOI, in a letter to all the State Chief Secretaries of states and UTs.
In his letter, Sajeev Kumar integrated the commitment of the Union government to achieving the sustainable development goal of ending TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global targets.
This implies targeting an 80 per cent reduction in incidence and 90 per cent reduction in mortality (base line 2015),
" In view of this ambitious target, a change in the name of the programme, representative of the ultimate goal of eliminating TB diseases, was thought to be necessary," he said.
"Therefore, with the approval of competent authority, it has been decided that henceforth the ‘Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) shall be for all intent and purposes known as ‘National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP)’, the letter added.
The task by TB elimination in India is indeed a herculean task. As per the latest Global TB report, the estimated number of new TB cases in India was 2.69 million. The total number of notified TB patients stood at 21,55,894 in 2018
Besides this, India has the largest number of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cases, 27 per cent of the global total.
At the same time, continuous efforts have been leading to better results. Deaths due to tuberculosis (TB) have reduced by 19 per cent from 5,57,000 in 2010 to 4,49,000 in 2018, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has informed the Lok Sabha earlier last month.
To further achieve the targets, the health ministry is implementing a National Strategic Plan (2017-25) by strengthening the existing interventions, and focusing on key initiatives which include early diagnosis of TB patients, prompt treatment with quality-assured drugs and treatment regimens along with suitable patient support system to promote adherence.
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