Director's Desk
Entrusted with the task of formulating a nationally acceptable, TB control programme, the National Tuberculosis Institute was established in 1959 and within three years of its inception, the institute devised a National Tuberculosis Programme which was scientifically valid and economically feasible and widely implementable. The mandate of the Institute was to undertake operations research studies and also to provide a body of trained health workers to execute the programme at the point of care.
As the NTP evolved to Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme in 1998 and subsequently metamorphized to National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme in 2020, the quantum of activities undertaken by the programme increased manifold. And this journey witnessed a commensurate increase in role of National Tuberculosis Institute, the technical arm of the Central TB Division and a WHO collaborating centre for Research and Training.
The NABL accredited National Reference Laboratory at the institute enhances the skills of laboratory workers across the country and monitors functioning of the Intermediate reference laboratories in addition to evaluation of innovative tools and providing technical support to the programme in developing guidance documents. Training and dissemination of knowledge to health care professionals on the updated guidelines of the National TB Programme is a core activity of the institute. Preparation and periodical revision of technical and operational guidelines, designing the training content are the regular activities of the institute.
Operations research studies undertaken by the institute has provided inputs for strengthening the National Tuberculosis Programme.
Efforts are contemplated on the measures to be taken to combat the issue of Post TB Lung disease to mitigate the continued suffering of tuberculosis patients.
National Tuberculosis Institute is committed in persevering efforts in the quest to eliminate Tuberculosis.