National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP)
The National Tuberculosis Programme of India (NTP) was initiated in 1962 and was originally designed for domiciliary treatment, using self-administered standard drug regimens. The NTP had created an extensive infrastructure for TB control with a network of more than 446 District TB Centres, 330 TB clinics and more than 47,600 TB beds. Despite the NTP being in existence since 1962, no appreciable change in the epidemiological situation of TB in the country had been observed. The HIV-AIDS epidemic and the spread of multi-drug resistance TB were threatening to further worsen the situation. In view of this, in 1992, GoI, with WHO and SIDA reviewed the TB situation and the performance of the NTP. In 1997, the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) was launched as a national programme with a plan to scale up in a phased manner. The RNTCP thus formulated, and adopted the internationally recommended Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) strategy, as the most systematic and cost-effective approach to revitalising the TB control programme in India. The objectives of the RNTCP were to achieve at least an 85% cure rate among the new smear-positive cases initiated on treatment, and thereafter a case detection rate of at least 70% of such cases. In A & N Islands, RNTCP was launched on 18th July 2005. The programme has made rapid strides ever since its implementation. Emboldened by its achievements, the programme in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) has articulated National Strategic Plan with a vision of TB Free India. The goal of the NSP is to achieve universal access to quality TB diagnosis and treatment for all TB patients in the community. The objectives of the National Strategic Plan (2012-17) are: 1. To achieve a 90% notification rate for all cases 2. To achieve a 90% success rate for all new and 85% for re-treatment cases 3. To significantly improve the successful outcomes of treatment of DR-TB Cases 4. To achieve decreased morbidity and mortality of HIV-associated TB 5. To improve outcomes of TB care in the private sector To achieve these objectives RNTCP further strengthened and improved the quality of basic DOTS services, align the sub-district level management unit with the health system under National Health Mission (NHM), deploy improved rapid diagnostics to the field level, increase efforts to engage all care providers, strengthen urban TB Control, expand diagnosis and treatment of DR-TB, improving communication, outreach, and social mobilization and promoting research for development and implementation of improved tools and strategies. On January 1, 2020, India’s TB control programme got a change of name again. It is no longer known as the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) and has been rechristened as the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
The change in name is in line with the larger goal of eliminating the disease by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals target. In March 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 2025 as the target year for ending TB. In A & N Islands, Andaman & Nicobar TB Elimination Mission (ANTEM) Document was released on September 2020. The change in name is expected to give a “huge thrust to the people working for the elimination of tuberculosis from the top to bottom and the general population”.
