India’s proposals to fight tuberculosis (TB) were successfully approved by the Global Fund over three rounds, allowing the country to access more than US$19.6 million over an initial two years, and up to US$64.2 million over five years.

In the last six years, India’s national TB program dramatically increased its TB coverage from 18 million to 800 million people and aims to extend all of its TB diagnosis and treatment services to its one billion citizens by the end of 2005.

To help close the remaining gap, Global Fund grant money will be used to expand TB diagnosis and treatment services to reach an additional 285 million people in the states of Chattisgarh, Jharkand, Uttranchal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andrha Pradesh and Orissa.

The TB projects will target India’s poorer populations, who often show the highest TB rates. A preliminary analysis of 4,000 TB patients in India, for example, revealed that 99% were from below the poverty line. Overcrowded conditions, malnutrition and no access to an overburdened public health system all contribute to India’s high TB prevalence.

The infectious disease remains a serious public health problem in India, where every year 2.2 million new cases are diagnosed, of which 1 million are infectious smear positive pulmonary cases.

Key to the success of India’s TB program is its commitment to offer free TB drugs to those who test smear positive, “patient-friendly” control programs run by NGOs who ensure a high rate of compliance to treatment and collaboration with private practitioners and private hospitals to make standardised TB care available to the community at large.

India Photo Galleries

All photos taken by Gary Hampton for the Global Fund.