Rebuilding Hope Through Consistent TB Treatment
PSI India team gave me a second chance when I had lost all hope. Their visits, their support, and their belief in me brought my life back on track. I will always be grateful for the care they showed to me and my family.”
Amid these efforts emerges the deeply moving story of Jitendra Kumar, a 35-year-old father of three from Karmaspur village in Dankaur block, Gautam Buddh Nagar, whose struggle with TB reflects both the fragility of poverty and the power of collective support.
Jitendra, a daily-wage laborer and the sole provider for his family, often struggled to ensure even two meals a day. Persistent fever and coughing went untreated, weighed down by financial hardships and emotional exhaustion. Only after repeated insistence from his wife did he visit Primary Health Center (PHC) Dankaur, where doctors suspected TB. His sputum test confirmed the diagnosis on 8 December 2024, and treatment began shortly after. He diligently completed 56 doses.
But fate took a difficult turn. A land dispute case led to his arrest, keeping him in jail for three months. His treatment stopped abruptly. The setback crushed his will. Even after returning home, he couldn’t bring himself to restart medication. His health deteriorated rapidly, leaving the family terrified and helpless.
The breakthrough came unexpectedly, through a child’s courage.
During PSI India’s awareness drive in the locality, a soft, trembling voice cut through the air: “My father is not well. He keeps coughing all night, has fever, and he doesn’t eat much. Our father is the only one who earns for us. Please come again and check him. It will help us a lot.” It was Jitendra’s 12-year-old son.
The very next day, PSI India’s TB-STRIVE field team visited their home. After screening and sputum collection, results confirmed TB once again on 22 August 2025. Treatment was restarted on 28 August under the same NIKSHAY ID. Weighing only 39 kg, Jitendra was immediately linked to the Nikshay Poshan Yojana to ensure nutritional support. Efforts were also initiated to connect him with a Nikshay Mitra, a community volunteer who could stand by him and his family throughout the treatment journey.
Under the TB-STRIVE Project, PSI India has strengthened TB detection and care across intervention districts by screening 9,554 individuals, identifying 2,178 presumptive TB cases, and ensuring that 172 diagnosed patients were promptly linked to appropriate treatment services. Working closely with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, PSI India is mobilizing communities through focused awareness drives, supporting early detection and timely notification, and enabling consistent treatment adherence through regular follow-ups and counselling. Collectively, these efforts are helping build a more responsive, community-driven TB care ecosystem and accelerating India’s progress toward eliminating tuberculosis.
PSI India, in partnership with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, is implementing the TB-STRIVE Project, a comprehensive effort to enhance TB detection, treatment adherence, community awareness, and reporting across urban and rural settings.
