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New Delhi, September 3rd, 2025: In a major step towards transforming India’s tuberculosis (TB) response, Survivors Against TB (SATB) has launched “My Care, My Metrics: A Framework for High-Quality TB Care in India” along with three companion guidebooks designed specifically for patients, doctors, and healthcare workers. Co-developed with TB-affected individuals, multidisciplinary experts, clinicians, and health workers, this suite of resources redefines what quality TB care should look like from the perspective of those most impacted, patients and their families. Rooted in lived experiences, community accountability, and the holistic needs of people affected by TB, the framework sets the stage for an inclusive, multi-stakeholder dialogue with a simple call to action: let us redefine care from the perspective of the people it affects the most. The guidebooks bring these principles to life by bridging the gap between ideas and practice, offering clear, role-specific guidance that translates person-centred care into daily action across the TB care ecosystem.
While India has made significant progress in expanding TB diagnosis and treatment access, persistent gaps in quality continue to threaten progress. My Care, My Metrics shifts the conversation from programmatic targets to person-centred outcomes, ensuring that care is judged not just by numbers but by the lived realities of patients and their families. Chapal Mehra, Public Health Expert and Convenor of SATB, emphasised the need to redefine how quality in TB care is measured: “Current indicators often fail to reflect the actual quality of care or treatment experience. My Care, My Metrics offers a clear, practical framework to shift the focus toward person-centred outcomes, system accountability, and measurable improvements in the care journey. It provides actionable guidance for policymakers, practitioners, and program designers alike.”
Ashna Ashesh, an MDR TB survivor and advocate, underscored the importance of care built on trust, continuity, and responsiveness: “Shared decision-making is non-negotiable. People affected by TB must be treated as active partners, not passive recipients. I followed my doctor from private to public care because of that trust. It gave me the confidence to speak up. But not everyone has that privilege. We need systems that empower people to advocate for themselves, and treat lived experience as data to ensure care is responsive, adaptive, and grounded in what TB-affected individuals actually need.” On the importance of emotional support, Akshata Acharya, an MDR TB survivor and actor, added: “The person treating me, whether a doctor or caregiver, should never make me feel alone. Feeling supported gives me the confidence to open up honestly about my health. Sometimes, even if immediate medical solutions aren’t available, having an empathetic ear is what the person truly needs.”
Speaking from the clinical perspective, Dr. Jai Mullerpatan, Senior Respirologist at PD Hinduja Hospital and Research Centre, reflected: “Access to diagnosis and treatment is the first step, but continuity of care, where patients see the same doctor throughout their treatment journey, is critical. It builds personal trust and encourages patients to express their concerns. Above all, patients need to be listened to without having their feelings dismissed.”
