Measuring progress towards Right to Universal Access of Tuberculosis Health Care Services in Three Tribal States of North East India

India bears a fifth of the global burden of tuberculosis, and a significant proportion of its population faces enormous challenges in accessing health care services to cure Tuberculosis disease.
To measure progress towards right to universal access to TB care at three states of North East India. This paper aimed to study the implementation of Revised National Tuberculosis Programme in achieving right to universal access. Findings from the study suggest that universal access to health care has been a major policy shift in RNTCP and represents a higher degree of variation in its implementation and success across the country. The difficulties encountered by the RNTCP in covering tribal populations delayed the implementation of RNTCP predominantly in tribal districts of India.
Significant proportion of tribal population lives in small settlements, Designated Microscopic centre or other TB care centres are mostly located at urban pockets in study sites. Large distance between communities and the TB care centres and inadequate transport facilities make it difficult for patients to reach health functionaries or health centres on time. Lack of adequate skilled health staff as an extension of services is also an obstruction to the right to universal access for marginalised tribal’s in the country.