24th March, 2026
National Webinar on Tuberculosis (TB) and Tobacco Control, held on March 24, 2026 (World TB Day), was organized by Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (RCTC), Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), and Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM), and Vital Strategies, with 450 participants and 12 national experts. Prof. Sonu Goel (Director, RCTC, PGIMER Chandigarh) highlighted the strong link between tobacco use and TB. Dr. Rakesh Gupta (President, Rajasthan Cancer Foundation) and Dr. P.C. Gupta (Director, Healis Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health) emphasised the need for integrating tobacco cessation into TB care.
Dr. Manish Kumar Singh (Secretary, IAPSM) and Dr. Ravinder Kumar (State Nodal Officer, Himachal Pradesh) stressed bi-directional screening and program convergence. Experts including Dr. Bhavesh Modi, Dr. Amit Yadav, Dr. Sunil Kumar, Dr. Salim Khan, Dr. Anil Purthy, Dr. Sairu Philip, and Dr. Sarit Sharma highlighted practical strategies such as brief interventions, training, and referral systems.
The webinar concluded that coordinated, integrated approaches between NTEP and NTCP are essential
to achieve a “TB-Free and Tobacco-Free India.
