Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Ministry of AYUSH, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Railways to strengthen inter-ministerial coordination for achieving a Tuberculosis-free India by 2025.
The MoU exchange ceremony was presided over by Harsh Vardhan in the presence of Shripad Yesso Naik and Ashwini Kumar Choubey.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said the Government of India, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, has committed to eliminating tuberculosis in India by 2025, five years ahead of the global target. He emphasized that a multi-sectoral and integrated approach is essential to address TB effectively, as the disease has significant social and economic dimensions beyond healthcare alone.
The Health Minister stated that coordinated efforts among ministries would help reach vulnerable and high-risk populations, including workers, miners, migrants, tribal communities, women and children, while also creating a nationwide public movement against TB.
Shripad Yesso Naik said the collaboration would strengthen integration of TB care services through the AYUSH healthcare network and improve awareness among AYUSH practitioners regarding TB diagnosis, treatment and policy initiatives.
Ashwini Kumar Choubey highlighted the need for coordinated action and awareness generation to eliminate tuberculosis and appreciated the collaborative efforts among ministries.
The MoU between the Health Ministry and AYUSH Ministry was exchanged by Preeti Sudan and Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha. Additional agreements were exchanged by Vikas Sheel with representatives from the Railways and Defence ministries.
The government noted that despite being preventable and curable, Tuberculosis continues to pose a major challenge to India’s public health and economic development, particularly affecting people in their productive years. Officials stressed that addressing the socio-economic determinants of TB requires coordinated action beyond the health sector alone.
