A labourer in Varanasi coughs for three months. He spends ₹4,000 on a private doctor, ₹2,200 on an X-ray, and ₹6,500 on a private pharmacy course of antibiotics that is not the right drug for TB. By the time the correct diagnosis arrives, the disease is more advanced and his savings are gone.

Down the same street, a government DOTS centre would have diagnosed him free of charge in 48 hours and given him the full six-month drug course at zero cost — plus ₹500 per month in his bank account for nutrition while he healed.

He did not know the centre existed.

India accounts for roughly 27% of global TB cases — more than any other country. Yet tuberculosis is almost always curable, and in India, the cure is fully funded by the government. The gap between available treatment and actual care is, again, almost entirely a gap of information.

What You Are Entitled To — At No Cost

Under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), now upgraded to the PM TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, every TB patient in India is entitled to:

  • Free diagnosis: Sputum microscopy, chest X-ray, and CBNAAT (rapid molecular test, results in 2 hours) at district TB centres and designated microscopy centres — all at zero charge.
  • Free drugs: The complete course of first-line anti-TB medicines under DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course) — six months of treatment, dispensed free.
  • ₹500 per month cash support under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) — paid directly to the patient's bank account or Jan Dhan account for the entire duration of treatment. No forms, no middlemen — it is triggered automatically when the treating health worker logs your treatment updates in the NIKSHAY system.
  • Free treatment for Drug-Resistant TB (DR-TB / MDR-TB): Second-line drugs, which cost ₹50,000–₹2 lakh in private markets, are available free at DR-TB centres.
Free
Diagnosis and full treatment course at government DOTS centres
Source: MoHFW, RNTCP
₹500/month
Nikshay Poshan Yojana cash support while on treatment
Source: Central TB Division, MoHFW
95%+
Cure rate for drug-sensitive TB when treatment is completed
Source: WHO Global TB Report, 2023
6 months
Standard duration of first-line TB treatment
Source: RNTCP Treatment Guidelines

Recognising Symptoms — When to Go

The most dangerous gap in TB care is late diagnosis. A person can have TB for six months before seeking care, by which time they have infected on average two to three people in their household.

Go to a government health centre immediately if you have:

  • Cough lasting more than two weeks — this is the single most important sign
  • Night sweats that soak your clothes, for two or more weeks
  • Unexplained weight loss — clothes feeling loose without a diet change
  • Fever in the evenings that returns daily
  • Blood in sputum — seek care the same day this appears

Children often present differently — failure to gain weight, swollen neck glands, prolonged mild fever. If a child has been in contact with a TB patient and has any of these, get them tested.

Where to Go: Finding Your Nearest DOTS Centre

DOTS centres operate inside:


  • Primary Health Centres (PHC) and Community Health Centres (CHC) — every block has one

  • District Hospital TB Units

  • Urban Health Posts in cities

  • Many Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (formerly Health & Wellness Centres)

To find your nearest designated microscopy centre or DOTS centre:


  • Call 1800-11-6666 — the free National TB Helpline (toll-free, 8 AM to 8 PM)

  • Visit nikshay.in and use the facility locator

  • Ask at any government PHC — they will direct you

You do not need a doctor's referral to walk in and ask for a TB test. You can present yourself directly.

The NIKSHAY System — What It Means for You

NIKSHAY is the government's patient management platform. When a health worker or private doctor diagnoses you with TB, they must register you in NIKSHAY. This registration is important because:

  1. It triggers your Nikshay Poshan Yojana payments. Without NIKSHAY registration, you will not receive the ₹500/month. If you are being treated at a private clinic and not receiving the payment, ask your doctor whether they have registered you.
  2. It tracks your treatment progress. Health workers enter your drug intake records; this protects you if there are ever disputes about your treatment status.
  3. Your case gets a Nikshay ID. Note it — you will need it for any grievance or missing payment enquiry.

Private doctors are legally required to notify TB cases to NIKSHAY. If your private doctor diagnoses you with TB but has not registered you (you have no Nikshay ID and no ₹500 payments), call the TB helpline and report it.

Drug-Resistant TB: A Longer Road With Full Government Support

If your initial treatment does not work, or if you tested positive for MDR-TB (Multi-Drug Resistant TB) on the CBNAAT test, you will be referred to a District DR-TB Centre. Treatment is 18–24 months, using second-line injectable and oral drugs — all free.

MDR-TB sounds frightening, but it is curable with complete treatment adherence. The government's Bedaquiline and Delamanid programmes (newer, more effective drugs approved for MDR-TB) are available free at designated centres. The 2022 WHO updated guidelines — which India follows — have made treatment shorter and more effective than before.

If you are MDR-TB positive:


  • Ask for the nearest DR-TB Centre — your district TB officer knows where it is.

  • A treatment supporter (DOTS provider) will be assigned to you.

  • Nikshay Poshan Yojana payments continue for the full MDR-TB treatment duration.

The Biggest Mistake: Stopping Treatment Early

TB drugs must be taken for the complete prescribed duration — 6 months for drug-sensitive TB, up to 24 months for DR-TB. The most common reason TB becomes drug-resistant is patients stopping treatment after 2–3 months when they feel better.

Incomplete treatment does not cure TB. It creates a drug-resistant strain that is harder to treat, stays infectious longer, and spreads resistant TB to others. The drugs are free. The only cost of continuing is showing up.

If you feel nauseous or have side effects, do not stop on your own — report it to the DOTS centre. Drugs can be adjusted; treatment cannot be abandoned.

Ni-kshay Mitra: Additional Support

Under the PM TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, individuals, NGOs, and companies can register as Ni-kshay Mitras to "adopt" TB patients and provide nutritional support, diagnostic support, or vocational support beyond what the government provides. If you are a TB patient struggling with nutrition, your DOTS centre can connect you with a Ni-kshay Mitra.

What You Can Do

  • If you have had a cough for more than two weeks, visit your nearest PHC or DOTS centre this week. The test is free and takes one visit.
  • If you are already on TB treatment at a private clinic, ask your doctor for your Nikshay ID. Check if you are registered and receiving ₹500/month.
  • If payments are missing, call the TB helpline 1800-11-6666 or raise a grievance at nikshay.in with your patient ID.
  • Complete the full treatment course. Even when you feel well at month 2, the bacteria are still present. Six months is the minimum.
  • Tell family members who share a room to get tested. TB spreads through air; household contacts of a diagnosed patient should receive a free sputum test.
  • If you know someone who has been coughing for weeks and avoiding a doctor due to cost, tell them clearly: diagnosis and drugs are free at the PHC. There is nothing to pay.

The stigma around TB and the assumption that treatment costs money are the two barriers that keep patients away from the one place that can cure them. Both are false.

Sources