Rapid TB diagnostic test in each district soon: Nadda

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for urging people to defeat diabetes and eradicate TB, Health Minister J P Nadda on Sunday said the government is focused on combating non communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, and soon new TB diagnostic test will be made available in each district of the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ today urged people to work for defeating diabetes and eradicating TB from the country.

“I thank Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji for highlighting importance of prevention and cure of Diabetes and TB in #MannKiBaat 

“Recently strengthened RNTCP; introduced additional 500 CBNAAT machines, new anti-#TB drug Bedaquiline & 3rd line drugs for HIV. New rapid #TB diagnostic test CBNAAT to become available in all districts in the country,” Nadda said in a series of tweets.

Cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification testing (CBNAAT) machines can detect the presence of TB bacteria in a span of two to three hours while the conventional methods of testing for the disease take anywhere between a week and one-and-a-half-months.

He said recently launched Bedaquiline medicine will save more lives of patients suffering from drug resistant TB.

“Use of Bedaquiline will save more lives of drug resistant #TB patients. 4 lakh DOT Centres and 13,500 DMCs are functioning in the country to provide treatment for #TB,” he tweeted.

The drug has been approved by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for the treatment of pulmonary Multi-Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB) in combination with an optimised background regimen.

Nadda also said that his Ministry is supporting research on effect of yoga on diabetes.

“Focus of Govt on combating NCDs including #Diabetes. Nat Prog for Prevention & Control of Cancers, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases & Stroke (NPCDCS) aims to prevent & control chronic NCD.

“Under NPCDCS, nearly 6 crore people have been screened for #Diabetes and Hypertension. Ministry of Health is supporting research on the effect of Yoga on #Diabetes,” Nadda tweeted.