From The Director’s Desk

Dr. Upasna Agarwal

Greeting from the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, New Delhi!

It is my proud privilege to give an overview of the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases (NITRD), New Delhi.

NITRD, an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is an Institute of National Importance of the country. Since its establishment in 1956 and subsequent takeover by the Government of India in 1991, the institute has been dedicated to advancing high quality clinical care, innovative research, and outstanding education & training in the field of tuberculosis and allied diseases. Proudly standing as one of India’s oldest TB hospitals, NITRD has served lakhs of TB patients over the past 70 years.

Over the years, the institute has distinguished itself as a centre of excellence for the management of tuberculosis, with specialized focus on complicated drug-resistant TB cases, cases of tuberculosis with HIV co-infection, paediatric TB and TB cases with various co-morbid conditions. We provide services to approximately 1200 patients in a day, maintaining near full occupancy of our 500 beds throughout the year. Our commitment includes round-the-clock emergency services, available 365 days a year. The institute also features a focused respiratory service, adept at managing conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, sleep disorders, lung cancer and many other different respiratory disorders like sarcoidosis, interstitial lung diseases, occupational lung diseases, to name a few. Our 18-bedded state-of-the-art respiratory ICU includes a separate unit dedicated to ventilatory support for sputum-positive TB cases, a one-of its-kind facility in the country. Our spectrum of services is complemented by the unique ‘Dr. RC Jain Thoracic Surgery Block’, named in honour of the Institute’s founder director. Furthermore, NITRD’s diagnostic services include a hi-tech radiology department and laboratories which serve as national reference centres with international certifications, offering a comprehensive suite of up-to-date mycobacteriology tests, therapeutic drug monitoring facility, and sophisticated histopathological testing.

NITRD is also at the forefront of teaching and training in thoracic medicine and surgery. Additionally, the institute is involved in as many as 40 high-quality research projects, at any given time. Our faculty sits on important national and international committees and provide valuable inputs to the National TB Elimination Program of the country, a contribution we have maintained over the past four decades.

Our dedicated team is committed to providing quality patient care, striving for excellence through continuous self-improvement, updating of medical facilities and adoption of innovative technologies. We are dedicated to the elimination of TB and aspire to be valuable partners in realizing the Prime Minister’s vision for a TB Mukt Bharat.