Nutrition Support for TB Patients and Their Families

Context : The Union Health Minister has introduced significant initiatives to enhance nutrition support for TB patients and their families.

• Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana (NPY): The monthly nutritional support for TB patients has been increased from Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 per patient, covering the entire treatment period. Now, each patient will receive between Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 6,000 under the scheme, benefiting 25 lakh TB patients annually. So far, Rs. 3,202 crores have been transferred to 1.13 crore beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer.

• Energy Dense Nutritional Supplementation (EDNS): Eligible patients, particularly those with a BMI below 18.5 kg/m² at diagnosis, will receive nutritional supplementation for the first two months of treatment. This initiative will cover approximately 12 lakh underweight patients and cost the Government of India an additional Rs. 1,040 crores, shared between the center and states on a 60:40 basis.

• Ni-Kshay Mitras: Under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (PMTBMBA), nutritional support will now extend to the family members (household contacts) of TB patients, aiming to improve their immunity through the distribution of food baskets. This expansion is expected to significantly reduce out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) for TB-affected families.

Significance: These initiatives aim to enhance nutritional recovery, improve treatment response, and reduce TB-related mortality in India.