Anantnag, Sep 29: The second Medical College Core Committee (MCCC) meeting under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) was held at the Conference Hall of Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag today. The high-level review, conducted under the auspices of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, was chaired by Prof. (Dr.) Junaid S. Wani, Principal & Dean of GMC Anantnag.
The meeting brought together top healthcare administrators and experts, including Prof. (Dr.) Naveed Nazir Shah (Chairman, State Task Force J&K), Prof. (Dr.) S. Muhammad Salim Khan (STF Member), Dr. Basra Mir (State Tuberculosis Officer, Kashmir), and Dr. Umer Yasin (District Tuberculosis Officer, Anantnag/Kulgam), alongside institutional NTEP nodal officers Dr. Irfa Naqashbandi and Prof. (Dr.) Sheikh Tariq, and various Heads of Departments.
In his opening address, Prof. (Dr.) Junaid S. Wani reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to the national strategic framework for TB elimination. He emphasized the pivotal role of GMC Anantnag as a premier tertiary care center dedicated to accelerating case notifications, standardizing inpatient clinical care, and aggressively closing diagnostic gaps across South Kashmir.
Following the welcome address, Dr. Irfa Naqashbandi presented a detailed evaluation of the college’s programmatic performance. The presentation covered key indicators such as department-wise presumptive TB identification trends across OPD and IPD registrations, the institutional throughput of CBNAAT and Truenat molecular testing facilities, real-time Ni-kshay portal notification workflows, and specialized clinical protocols handling extra-pulmonary, pediatric, and difficult-to-treat TB cases.
The presentation was followed by deliberations by the STF chair Prof Naveed Nazir Shah & State Operational research chair prof salim khan on a series of critical operational directives aimed at boosting performance. Key resolutions included enforcing strict bi-directional screening across high-risk patient groups in diabetes, nephrology, and oncology clinics. To minimize empirical or purely clinical diagnoses, clinical and surgical departments were directed to route all biopsy, body fluid, and fine-needle aspirate samples for molecular nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT). The committee also mandated 100% upfront baseline Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST) for every newly identified patient before beginning treatment.
Furthermore, Principal, Prof Junaid Wani issued instructions to streamline real-time Ni-kshay entries to expedite patient financial incentives under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme, alongside boosting faculty and postgraduate involvement in STF-supported operational research.
Concluding the session, State Tuberculosis Officer Kashmir, Dr. Basra Mir commended the GMC Anantnag administration and its nodal team for organizing the comprehensive review. She reiterated that seamless, sustained cross-coordination between medical college specialists and peripheral district TB machinery remains vital to achieving the rigorous elimination targets. Reassuring the institution of total programmatic and logistical backing from the State TB Cell, the meeting concluded with a formal vote of thanks to the chair, visiting STF leadership, and participating faculty members.
