Srinagar, July 8: Jammu and Kashmir has achieved 100 percent coverage of all identified High-Risk Villages (HRVs) under the intensive tuberculosis (TB) screening campaign, officials informed during a review meeting of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Health & Medical Education M. Raju, Director SKIMS, Mission Director NHM, Managing Director JKMSCL, Principals of Government Medical Colleges, Directors of Health Services, and senior faculty members from medical institutions across the Union Territory.
Commending the efforts of healthcare workers, the Chief Secretary stressed that eliminating tuberculosis requires sustained vigilance, early diagnosis and uninterrupted treatment. He directed all districts to ensure comprehensive contact tracing of every notified TB patient so that household and close contacts are promptly screened and, if diagnosed, immediately linked to treatment under the National TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
Dulloo also emphasised the wider use of the 'Khushi Chatbot', integrated with the TB Mukt Bharat App, describing it as an important digital tool that provides patients with authentic information, treatment guidance and counselling in local languages. He asked officials to maximise patient enrolment on the platform to improve awareness and treatment adherence.
The review highlighted significant progress under Phase-II of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan over the past three weeks. Around 6.85 lakh people residing in High-Risk Villages have been screened, substantially strengthening active case detection in vulnerable and underserved areas.
Commissioner Secretary, Health & Medical Education, M. Raju informed the meeting that 1,525 Nikshay Shivirs had been organised across all 1,518 identified High-Risk Villages, ensuring complete geographical coverage of the campaign.
To strengthen diagnostic facilities, 11 additional hand-held digital X-ray machines have been deployed in Reasi, Doda, Rajouri, Ramban, Baramulla, Srinagar and Kupwara with support from the Central TB Division and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
The number of vulnerable individuals undergoing digital chest X-ray screening has increased from 1.72 lakh to over 3.15 lakh, raising the overall X-ray screening rate from 70 percent to nearly 79 percent. Districts including Baramulla, Kupwara, Srinagar and Budgam have recorded particularly high screening coverage.
The programme has also witnessed progress in molecular diagnostics, with 95,810 microbiological investigations conducted, 91 percent of them through rapid molecular tests (NAAT), enabling faster and more accurate diagnosis.
Officials further informed that TB Preventive Treatment (TPT) coverage among eligible household contacts has increased from 34 percent to 65 percent, significantly reducing the risk of latent TB progressing into active disease.
Nutritional support under the programme has also expanded, with Poshan Kit distribution increasing from 54.5 percent to 86 percent. Nearly 3,930 TB patients have received nutritional assistance, while several districts have achieved near-universal coverage among consenting beneficiaries, reinforcing the programme's focus on comprehensive patient care.
