Union Health Minister J P Nadda Addresses Stop TB Partnership Side-Event on Lung Health Screening at 79th World Health Assembly

📌 Summary:

• Union Health Minister J P Nadda addressed a high-level side event, "Ministerial Perspectives on Lung Health Screening", on the sidelines of the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva
• The event was organised by the Stop TB Partnership and co-hosted by India, Japan, the Philippines and Zambia
• Nadda stressed that timely screening, early diagnosis and equitable access to care are central to resilient, people-centred health systems and help prevent catastrophic health expenditure
• Under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) and the "TB-Mukt Bharat" vision, India has expanded active case-finding through house-to-house outreach, mobile screening teams and community campaigns
• India has scaled up diagnostics: molecular testing platforms, digital chest X-ray services, AI-assisted interpretation tools, handheld screening devices and decentralised testing to reduce delays in remote and underserved regions
• The TB Mukt Bharat App features "Khushi", an AI-enabled multilingual chatbot giving real-time guidance on symptoms, entitlements and the nearest diagnostic facilities
• Nadda proposed global priorities: mainstreaming lung health within Universal Health Coverage frameworks and expanding affordable access to diagnostics and screening technologies

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 (Health — disease elimination programmes, global health diplomacy, Universal Health Coverage). India's TB elimination drive and engagement at the WHA are key governance and international-relations themes.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the decision-making body of the WHO; the 79th session was held in Geneva
• NTEP = National TB Elimination Programme; India aims for a "TB-Mukt Bharat"
• The Stop TB Partnership co-hosted the event with India, Japan, the Philippines and Zambia
• "Khushi" is the AI chatbot on the TB Mukt Bharat App

🔑 Key Term: Universal Health Coverage (UHC) — ensuring that all people can access the health services they need, of sufficient quality, without suffering financial hardship.