In a ground-breaking move, the Health Department of Madhya Pradesh is going to launch a first-of-its-kind initiative to deliver free anti-TB medication directly to the homes of tuberculosis patients being treated by private doctors. Rolled out under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), the initiative aims to close long-standing gaps in TB care and marks a major step toward integrating the private healthcare sector into the state’s TB control strategy. For the first time, patients undergoing treatment in the private sector, who constitute a significant portion of TB cases, will now receive Government-supplied anti-TB drugs at their doorstep, entirely free of cost. The program includes prescription verification, drug pickup from government medical warehouses, and monthly home delivery. Patients will also return used drug strips to enable treatment adherence monitoring, a practice long followed in the public sector under Directly Observed Therapy (DOT).

 

To ensure smooth implementation, the Health Department is hiring an external agency, and tenders have already been invited to manage logistics, doorstep delivery and patient follow-up services. Officials say this outsourcing will help streamline operations, ensure last-mile reach, and reduce treatment dropouts. “This appears to be a significant development,” said Dr Atul Kharate, former State TB Officer of Madhya Pradesh. “Patients receiving TB treatment in the private sector have often had limited access to structured support. If implemented well, this initiative could help address some of those long-standing challenges.” Dr Kharate added that many of the necessary elements, like diagnostic facilities, medicines, and monitoring systems, already exist within the public health infrastructure. “The key issue has often been in making these available to patients under private care.

 

This program seems to aim at improving that linkage,” he noted. Previously, private-sector TB patients were often burdened with buying their own medication, leading to poor adherence, high out-of-pocket expenses, and an increased risk of drug-resistant TB. By extending public-sector support systems to private patients, this initiative promises to improve treatment outcomes across the board. The doorstep delivery model is part of a broader reform package that also includes real-time tracking of sputum samples, geo-mapped contact tracing, and expanded access to Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment (TPT) for at-risk contacts. These interventions reflect a modern, tech-enabled, and patient-centered approach to TB care. With over 26 lakh TB cases reported annually in India, including nearly 1.8 lakh cases from Madhya Pradesh alone, and a significant number treated in the private sector, the state’s new initiative could serve as a model for improving access and support across different healthcare settings.