Uttar Pradesh has fared well in the elimination of tuberculosis (TB) even during the COVID-19 pandemic with an average of 52 per cent which is equal to the country’s average but higher than that of Bihar and Maharashtra but lower than the average of Rajasthan, among the four TB high burden states.
According to officials and figures available on the Nikshay dashboard of the Union government, against the total target of 4.50 lakh notification of TB patients in UP fixed till September, 2020 , the state could only identify 2,31,891 lakh, which is around 52 per cent.
At the country level, the target was 22,49,272 but the achievement was 11,77,007, which is also around 52 per cent.
In the overall target notification, Rajasthan’s achievement was 55 per cent while that of Bihar 41 per cent and of Maharashtra 49 per cent.
In UP, the public sector did better with a target of 60 per cent compared to 47 per cent target in the private sector.
Bihar and Maharashtra have performed below the national average of 52 per cent and the notifications in the public sector have reduced substantially. Bihar’s percentage was 43 and that of Maharashtra 51.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted TB notifications across most states. Rajasthan has performed the best in comparison to the targets set for the public sector with the state meeting 74 per cent of the targets till September, officials claimed.
The officials said the most important intervention included in the National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination was the scale up of private sector engagement across the country. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, private sector engagement and notifications from the private sector have been impacted substantially.
At the national level, the private sector has only met 45 per cent of the target for notifications.