Soumya Swaminathan

Current Context : Dr. Soumya Swaminathan has been appointed as the Principal Adviser at the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) for the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).

• Swaminathan was the former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation.

ABOUT TB AND NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS ELIMINATION PROGRAMME (NTEP)

• Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by a Bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• It is spread through the air by a person suffering from TB.
• India accounts for 25% of world’s TB burden and over 25 lakh new cases of TB were notified in 2024 in India.
• National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), earlier known as the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), is the Public Health initiative of the Government of India that organizes its anti-Tuberculosis efforts.
• It functions as a flagship component of the National Health Mission (NHM) and provides technical and managerial leadership to anti-tuberculosis activities in the country.