Background
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) is a renewed effort to contribute to the efforts of Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) to reduce TB-related morbidity and mortality, and to accelerate progress towards achieving the targets of the Global Stop TB Strategy for 2006-2015.

Some of the challenges faced by the project are meeting the current gaps like insufficient laboratory capacity for detecting and follow up of requisite drug resistance cases in the country and funds availability for procurement of second line drugs for all Multi Drug Resistant-TB cases (MDR-TB) cases planned to be initiated on treatment. It also intends to promote community involvement in order to increase the identification of new cases and ensure their complete treatment.

The project, Axshya aims at improving the reach, visibility and effectiveness of RNTCP through civil society support in 374 districts across 23 states by 2015. It will also scale-up care and management of Drug Resistant TB (DR-TB) in 35 states/Union Territories of India resulting in the initiation of treatment of 55,350 additional cases of DR-TB by 2015. The project will engage communities and community based care providers to improve TB care & control especially for the marginalized and vulnerable population including TB-HIV patients.

The project will be done in two phases - first phase – April 2010 – March 2012 and; second phase – March 2012 - April 2015.