Lucknow: Dr. Surya Kant, Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, King George’s Medical University, U.P., Lucknow, stated that “TB-Free India” is our Prime Minister’s dream project, and the increased nutritional allowance for TB patients will strengthen the TB eradication program. He said malnutrition and TB are two sides of the same coin. Malnutrition increases the risk of developing TB, and TB causes weakness and weight loss, which worsens malnutrition. Therefore, addressing malnutrition in TB patients will lead to better treatment responses, lower mortality rates, and improved long-term treatment outcomes. The Government of India has increased the nutritional allowance for TB patients from Rs 500 per month to Rs 1000 per month, effective from November 1, 2024. This increase will apply to all new beneficiaries as well as benefits received after the effective date. This incentive will be given in two equal installments of Rs 3,000, with the first Rs 3,000 provided as an advance at the time of diagnosis, and the second after completing 84 days of treatment. For patients whose treatment duration exceeds six months, the new benefit of Rs 1,000 per month will be provided.
Additionally, to reduce the vulnerability of family members to malnutrition-related TB, the Prime Minister’s TB-Free India Campaign (PMTBMBA) has approved the inclusion of family members (household contacts) of TB patients under the Ni-Kshay Mitra initiative. The goal is to prevent new infections and reduce TB-related mortality. These measures are expected to assist in improving nutritional status, enhancing TB treatment outcomes in India, and reducing the mortality associated with the disease.
Currently, Dr. Surya Kant is the Chairman of the Zonal Task Force (North Zone) of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program. The North Zone includes six states and three union territories. He mentioned that he plays a crucial role in the “Prime Minister’s TB-Free India” campaign. For the treatment of drug-resistant TB, five “Centers of Excellence” have been identified in India, one of which is in the Respiratory Medicine Department at KGMU. This selection was made in collaboration with two international organizations – the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and the United States Agency for International Development – and with the support of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Dr. Surya Kant explained that under the “Center of Excellence,” efforts are being made to eliminate drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) for 250 million people in Uttar Pradesh, including the 75 districts of 18 divisions, 75 DR-TB centers, 56 district DR-TB centers, and 24 nodal DR-TB centers. Training, monitoring, management, and research on DR-TB are being conducted across 67 medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh. TB specialists and health workers involved in TB treatment are being trained under this program in all 75 districts. For many years, Dr. Surya Kant has been leading TB eradication efforts in Uttar Pradesh and other states of the country. He added that if needed, he would work on TB eradication in neighboring states of Uttar Pradesh as well.
It is worth mentioning that Dr. Surya Kant has written 22 books, including five on the subject of TB. During the third anniversary of India’s New Education Policy (NEP) at the All India Education Summit, two of Dr. Surya Kant’s books, on the role of yoga in TB and asthma, were among the 100 books launched in Hindi by Hon’ble Prime Minister.
