Bihar Govt Expresses Concern Over Sluggish Pace Of TB Screening; Chief Secretary Issues Directions To Speed It Up
Bihar Chief Secretary issued various directions to expedite TB tests and to fix the responsibility of the different departments.
By Dev Raj
Published : July 2, 2026 at 4:24 PM IST
Patna: The Bihar government expressed concern over the tardy pace of Tuberculosis (TB) screening in the state on Thursday and fixed the target of screening 1 crore people for the disease by August 14 this year. It also asked all departments to work in a coordinated manner and in a ‘mission mode’ to achieve the aim.
The directions came at a high-level review of the TB screening programme being conducted in the state under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (a programme to eradicate tuberculosis). The data presented at the meeting showed that only 39 lakh or 14 per cent of the total 2.76 crore target population has been screened for the disease in Bihar so far.
“It is a very serious issue that the TB screening coverage in a majority of the 38 districts is less than 20 per cent. We need to expedite and increase it. We need to screen 1 crore people for TB by August 14. This could be possible only if we work in a mission mode,” Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit said at the meeting.
“A determined coordinated effort by all concerned government departments and the district magistrates is necessary for the success of the national programme to eradicate TB,” Pratyaya added.
The chief secretary issued various directions to expedite TB tests and to fix the responsibility of the different departments. The district administration was directed to appoint senior deputy collectors or nodal officers for each block to closely monitor the daily and weekly screening targets in the state. The weekly target at present is 9.42 lakh screening tests.
“An extensive micro-plan to organise TB screening tests at schools, hostels, Mahadalit localities, and jails with the help of the 674 Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) mobile teams in the state. The daily data of the tests should be mandatorily uploaded at the Ni-kshay portal,” Pratyaya directed.
RBSK is a program for early identification of select health conditions and linking them for medical and surgical management, thereby providing comprehensive care for children in the community. The Ni-kshay portal (Ni = End, Kshay = TB) is the official web-enabled patient management and surveillance system for tuberculosis control in India. It is operated by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
Detailing the inter-departmental expectations, the chief secretary said that the education department should send mobile health teams to all secondary, higher secondary and Kasturba Gandhi Girls Schools (which are essentially residential schools) to ensure “cent percent screening of all boys and girls studying at them”.
He also directed the state Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) welfare department to take the help of ‘Vikas Mitras’ to bring all the people residing in Mahadalit Tolas to screening camps. Such tests should also be conducted at the hostels meant for SC and ST students.
The rural development department has been asked to rope in Jeevika Didis (members of women self-help groups formed under the rural livelihood programmes) to spread awareness about TB screening programmes among the people and connect them to the special camps organised at the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs or AAM (formerly known as Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres) for the tests.
Similarly, the panchyati raj department has been asked to include the representatives of the three-tier panchayati raj institutions at the screening camps, and encourage them to adopt TB patients by becoming Ni-kshay Mitra (friend). As a part of the testing strategy, at least 10 screening tests at the AAM centres and 100 tests by mobile screening teams would be conducted daily. The latest test methods would be adopted in the tests.
With regard to the vulnerable population, the field X-ray machines and handheld X-ray machines will conduct at least 20 and 50 tests, respectively, every day.
The chief secretary directed that district administrations will coordinate with public sector enterprises like the Indian Oil Corporation, NTPC Ltd, Power Grid Corporation, Bihar State Power Holding Company and others to provide nutritious food baskets to TB patients through the Red Cross Society and all registered Ni-kshay Mitra.
Read More
