Under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan provides Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana support of ₹500 per month to notified TB patients. This incentive specifically addresses which determinant of treatment failure?
- A Drug resistance due to inadequate drug supply
- B Nutritional deficiency that impairs immune response and drug metabolism ✓
- C Stigma by offering financial anonymity to patients
- D Inadequate healthcare worker training
Correct answer: B. Nutritional deficiency that impairs immune response and drug metabolism
Explanation
Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana (₹500/month nutritional support) directly addresses undernutrition, which is the most prevalent co-morbidity in Indian TB patients, impairs T-cell immunity, alters pharmacokinetics of anti-TB drugs, and doubles the risk of treatment failure and relapse. The PM-TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (2022) also involves community Ni-kshay Mitras providing additional nutritional, vocational and emotional support. Option A is addressed by uninterrupted drug supply chains, not monetary transfer.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.