Nadda launches JOSH teams to accelerate India's tuberculosis elimination

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda on Thursday inaugurated JOSH teams as part of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, India's flagship tuberculosis elimination programme. The teams will draw upon the combined strengths of National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets and MY Bharat volunteers to scale up awareness and intervention efforts across the country.

The JOSH teams are designed to leverage the organizational capacity and volunteer base of NCC units and MY Bharat, which brings together youth participants committed to nation-building activities. By channeling these human resources toward tuberculosis elimination, the initiative seeks to reach underserved populations and enhance case detection rates in communities.

Tuberculosis remains a significant public health challenge in India despite progress in recent years. The integration of trained youth volunteers into TB control efforts is expected to strengthen grassroots-level surveillance and patient support systems, potentially accelerating the country's timeline toward TB elimination.

The TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched in 2018, aims to eliminate tuberculosis in India by 2025, ahead of the global target of 2030. The initiative has combined government efforts with community participation and private sector engagement to improve diagnosis, treatment adherence, and nutritional support for TB patients nationwide.