Every morning, before she begins her day, 36-year-old Sumaiya takes a dose of 4 tablets of medicines that she hopes will help her return to the life she had just a few months ago. The resident of Sonawari village has been undergoing treatment for tuberculosis (TB) for more than a month. Doctors diagnosed her with the disease after a Mantoux test confirmed the infection. “After a normal back pain issue, I was suggested to do chest X-ray, which was normal but my symptoms suggested otherwise” she says. “Then only, I was put on Tuberculosis Medication.”
The illness changed the rhythm of life inside the family’s home. Simple household chores became difficult and there were days when Sumaiya did not have the strength to do household chores.
Her husband, 39-year-old Nazir Ahmed, has since taken over much of the household work. He cooks, cares for their child and accompanies Sumaiya to hospital visits.
“There has been improvement since medication,” Nazir says. “She is feeling much better than when the treatment started.”
Unlike many patients who fear being treated differently after a TB diagnosis, Sumaiya says her experience at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital in Srinagar has been positive.
“I have not faced any discrimination because I have TB,” she says. “The doctors and staff have taken good care of me.”
Her story comes at a time when tuberculosis continues to pose a major public health challenge in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to data placed before Parliament by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 11,959 TB cases were notified in Jammu and Kashmir in 2025 under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. The numbers have remained consistently high over the past five years, with 10,826 cases reported in 2021, 11,804 in 2022, 11,754 in 2023, 12,200 in 2024 and 11,959 in 2025.
The family receives free medicines under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), which operates under the broader Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. The scheme provides free diagnosis and treatment for TB patients, reducing the financial burden on families who often require months of uninterrupted medication.
Health officials say the notification figures represent patients reported through the surveillance system during the year and should not be confused with the number of active TB patients at any given time. Some patients complete treatment while others are newly diagnosed.
“In Sub district hospitals there are basic facilities provided to TB patients, from free medicine to follow-up reminders,” says Javaid Ahmed Dar, working as Senior Healthcare Supervisor in Sonawari village. The healthcare to TB patients is so precise that “ there are three healthcare officials giving medicine reminders through phone calls to every TB patient in the village, every morning at 8AM,” says Javaid.
The latest official data, however, does not provide a gender-wise break-up of the 2025 notifications. Public health experts have said that such information is important to understand how the disease affects men and women differently and whether barriers to diagnosis or treatment exist for specific groups.
The Union government has strengthened TB control through free diagnostics, treatment, community screening and patient support under the National TB Elimination Programme. Nationally, India has reduced its TB incidence rate by 21 percent, from 237 cases per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh in 2024, according to the WHO Global TB Report 2025 cited by the Ministry of Health.
The Centre has also expanded screening through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and mobile diagnostic services while encouraging private healthcare providers to notify TB cases to improve early detection.
For Sumaiya, though, recovery is measured less by statistics and more by everyday moments. She can now spend more time with her child. Her strength is slowly returning. Nazir says completing the full course of treatment is now the family’s priority. “We are hopeful,” he says. “The medicines are helping. We just want her to become completely healthy again.”
“There are door to door campaigns happening in Sonawari village to educate patients about the disease and how important it is to complete the medication course,” says Javaid Ahmed Dar.
Behind each of the 11,959 TB notifications recorded in Jammu and Kashmir in 2025 is a family navigating illness, treatment and uncertainty. Sumaiya’s story is one of those. It is also a reminder that early diagnosis, uninterrupted medication and family support remain central to India’s effort to eliminate tuberculosis.
