CHENNAI: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is planning to merge the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme and National AIDS Control Programme as the move is expected to help better in the elimination of both diseases by 2025 and 2030.“The high-level committee constituted for recommendations on a merging of both programmes submitted its final report to the Union Health Ministry recently and Health Minister J P Nadda will take a final call,” said one of the members of the committee. The report noted that TB and HIV are two leading causes of morbidity and mortality among all infectious diseases.
As per the global TB/HIV co-infections statistics, in 2016, 3.74 lakh deaths were caused by HIV and TB co-infection. The report also said that the occurrence of TB is common among HIV-infected persons and TB patients have higher HIV positivity ratio than the general population. So, convergence of both programmes will help achieve an end to both TB and AIDS by 2030.
As per the Tamil Nadu State TB Control Society data, from January to June this year, 4.66 lakh TB cases were notified both in private and public sections, out of which 38,992 TB patients tested for HIV. And among them, 1,710 patients were found to have TB-HIV co-infection. The draft report, accessed by Express, shows that the National AIDS Control Organisation will be rechristened as National TB and AIDS Control Programme (NTACO). The Additional Secretary and Director General (NACO & RNTCP) will be repositioned as Additional Secretary and Director General (NTACO).
Likewise, the State AIDS Control Society under the National AIDS Control Programme will be rechristened as State TB and AIDS Control Society. Project director of the existing State AIDS Control Society will be repositioned as Mission Director or Programme Director (STACS).Speaking to Express, the state-level committee member said, “At district level, this will facilitate a separate dedicated focus on TB and AIDS control. Bringing all officials and staff of the two programmes under one umbrella will be helpful for better control measures. Now, 80 per cent of opportunistic infection coming for an HIV-infected patient is TB. Also 60 per cent of mortality of HIV patients is also due to TB”.
P Kousalya, president, Positive Women Network, said, “The officials should see that an exclusive focus on AIDS prevention and treatment is not diluted. This will also increase the awareness of TB and HIV co-infection. When it comes to funds, as AIDS funds have reduced and funds for TB programme are abundant, it will be helpful to fill the gap.”