The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the Ministries of Youth Affairs and Sports and Defence, will launch JOSH (Joint Squad for Health) Teams on October 8 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi to strengthen community-level efforts to combat tuberculosis.
The initiative will initially be rolled out across 55 districts in 11 States, with a focus on mobilising young people and taking the TB Mukt Bharat campaign deeper into communities.
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers, Jagat Prakash Nadda, will lead the launch. He will be joined by Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
JOSH Teams have been designed as a structured platform to channel the energy and networks of India’s youth into organised community action against TB. The teams will bring together Class-I Officers, MY Bharat Volunteers and NCC Cadets, combining administrative leadership with youth-led outreach.
The teams will work at the Block, Ward and community levels, taking TB awareness beyond healthcare facilities and into people’s daily environments. Their activities will focus on spreading information about TB symptoms, prevention, timely diagnosis and treatment adherence, while addressing myths and stigma associated with the disease.
The initiative will also provide young people with a defined role in awareness campaigns, social mobilisation and community engagement, helping connect government-led TB programmes with communities at the grassroots.
The launch will include the formal introduction of the JOSH Teams along with the release of new Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials for the TB Mukt Bharat campaign. An AI-powered chatbot, Khushi Avatar, will also be introduced to support public awareness and community participation in TB elimination efforts.
The JOSH Teams are part of the government’s whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to TB elimination, bringing together the health, youth and defence sectors to strengthen community participation and Jan Bhagidari in the fight against TB.
(Source: PIB)