Srinagar, Mar 24: In a remarkable public health achievement, Srinagar district has emerged as the first district in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to attain TB-Free Panchayat status for three consecutive years.
Notably, Srinagar is also among the first districts in the entire country to accomplish this milestone, setting a powerful example in India’s fight against tuberculosis.
The TB-Mukt Panchayat initiative is a cornerstone of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), designed as a decentralized, community-driven strategy to eliminate TB at the grassroots level. The initiative empowers local governance systems to take ownership of TB control, ensuring active community participation and sustained surveillance.
Under this program, a Panchayat is declared “TB-free” based on six key public health indicators. These include maintaining a TB Case Notification Rate of ≤ 1 case per 1000 population per year, achieving a TB Testing Rate of ≥ 30 tests per 1000 population, and ensuring a Treatment Success Rate of ≥ 85%, among other critical benchmarks.
Srinagar district comprises 21 Panchayats, all of which have consistently met these stringent criteria for three consecutive years. As per the grading system, a Panchayat earns Bronze status in the first year, Silver status in the second, and Gold status upon maintaining the standards for the third consecutive year. With all its Panchayats now achieving Gold status, Srinagar stands as a national leader in grassroots TB elimination.
On the occasion of World TB Day, Dr Abdul Rouf, District Tuberculosis Officer Srinagar, expressed gratitude to Shri Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar; Dr Jahengir Bakhshi; Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Tahir Sajad, Chief Medical Officer Srinagar and Dr Basra Mir, State TB Officer Kashmir for their continuous support, leadership, and guidance in achieving this historic feat.
Dr. Rouf also made a strong public appeal, urging individuals experiencing persistent cough for more than two weeks, prolonged fever, or unexplained weight loss to come forward for testing and treatment. He emphasized that tuberculosis is a 100% curable disease and that early detection is key to preventing transmission within families and communities.
This achievement not only highlights the effectiveness of coordinated public health efforts but also reinforces Srinagar’s commitment to achieving the larger national goal of TB elimination in a time-bound manner.
