Even if a country’s TB programme perfects service delivery, TB won’t end until grassroots communities are empowered to join the fight against the disease. Towards this, the India National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) has been actively implementing the TB Mukt Panchayat (TB-free villages) initiative.
The Union’s ACSM team has been helping galvanise the efforts of local communities to achieve TB-free village status, which can only be declared when presumptive examination and notification rate criteria are met in more than 80% of the villages within the Gram Panchayat (local council).
To support the communities, the team developed the “TB Ki No Entry” (No Entry For TB) campaign, focused on empowering the communities to take up the fight against TB and lead from the front. It also reinforces the point that the fight is against the disease and not those affected by it.
The campaign employs a bold, Bollywood-style design aesthetic to enhance visual appeal, while raising awareness of TB symptoms and services, motivating community action and encouraging health-seeking behaviours.
This year, the NTEP adopted the campaign for national rollout and shared it across all 36 States and Union Territories for deployment in the field. With support and advocacy from The Union, the campaign has been successfully rolled out in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, and is underway for others – reaching the most vulnerable and remote communities.
The ground-level impact of this intense campaign has been encouraging, with over 5,000 Gram Panchayats (village councils) being declared TB-free.
Anisha, Global ACSM Lead at The Union, said: “This multi-faceted, energetic, strategic and sustained campaign approach has bolstered the efforts of the National TB Programme to reach the most vulnerable and remote village communities, empowering them to say collectively it is our right and responsibility to live in a TB-free India.”