Govt plans monetary benefits for private TB doctors, patients

The Centre is mulling incentives for private doctors who treat tuberculosis (TB) patients, and financial benefits and free medicines to those visiting them, under its "aggressive" strategy to eliminate the disease.

The draft National Strategic Plan (NSP) for TB Elimination (2017-2025), which will be rolled out soon, proposes the benefits which include Rs 2,000 assistance for patients visiting private sector doctors.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda during an event to mark the World TB day on Friday had announced the NSP will be finalised within a month.

TB is India's "severest" health crisis and kills an estimated 1,400 people a day, the NSP draft says.

It says the private sector TB care providers will be given incentives to promote TB case notification, ensure treatment adherence and completion. The incentives will be provided upon notification in the TB reporting software - Nikshay.

The incentives to the private sector TB care provider are: Rs 250 on notification of a TB case diagnosed as per standards for TB Care in India (SCTI), Rs 250 on completion of every month of treatment and Rs 500 on completion of entire course of TB treatment, the draft, accessed by

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)