In the ongoing parliamentary session, Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, assured that there is an adequate supply of anti-TB drugs available in the country. Addressing the status of tuberculosis (TB) eradication in India, Minister Patel highlighted the significant progress made under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), emphasizing the government's commitment to maintaining an uninterrupted supply of these essential medications.

The Minister highlighted that ensuring an adequate supply of anti-TB medications is critical to the NTEP's effectiveness. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) conducts regular stock assessments of these medications in states and Union Territories (UTs).

Assuring the house that the government issues orders regularly to ensure that stockpiles are replenished when necessary, she added that, states and UTs can use National Health Mission (NHM) funds to purchase anti-TB medications locally in restricted quantities to meet urgent requirements.

In addition, the MoHFW's Central TB Division responds quickly to notifications of potential shortages. When a shortage is detected, the division promptly releases central stock or reallocates medications across states to avoid any disruption in treatment.

According to the India TB Report 2022, the NTEP has made tremendous progress in implementing new medications and treatment modalities. For example, the government has established an injection-free treatment regimen for drug-sensitive tuberculosis (DS-TB) nationally. The program also implemented a complete package for differentiated treatment to reduce tuberculosis mortality by identifying individuals who require referral or hospitalization.

2,030,509 (95%) of the 2,135,830 patients with DS-TB diagnoses received treatment in 2021. The treatment success rate for patients notified from the public sector was 83%, while the private sector rate was 82%.

The NTEP has also prioritized the management of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) by decentralizing TB services to Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centers. In 2021, the program identified 48,232 MDR/RR-TB patients and began treatment for 43,380 (90%) of them. Treatment initiation rates for pre-XDR-TB, XDR-TB, and H mono/poly patients were 89%, 89%, and 87%, respectively.

Furthermore, the NTEP implemented and expanded a shorter oral bedaquiline-containing regimen for MDR/RR-TB patients across the country. In 2021, 1,939 patients began this treatment, and 23,889 began a longer M/XDR-TB regimen, and 25,235 began a shorter injection-based MDR-TB regimen.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is actively monitoring and addressing the supply of anti-TB medications, as well as implementing a variety of novel treatment strategies to improve TB management in India. The activities of the National TB Elimination Programme reflect a strong commitment to eradicating tuberculosis in the country.