In Paderu's remote tribal hamlet,Andhra Pradesh,Sandhya, a 40-year-old TB patient, faces grim reality. Despite determination to finish her treatment,she battles both the disease and crushing financial stress. Her story is one of many in India's poorer regions where slow government aid worsens hardships.
Diagnosed with pulmonary TB in December 2025, Sandhya leans on her eldest daughter,the family's only earner, who makes just ₹100-₹150 daily in agriculture. Not enough for basics, much less nutrition Sandhya needs. family of four lives in a 200-person hamlet,reachable only by muddy road,with health center nearly 10 kilometers away.
“I can't make the trip,” Sandhya says,voice weak, thinking of the trek to the Primary Health Centre. Neighbors like Satya,a local caretaker, worry about her health, noting lack of nutrition and medical care. Her meals, mainly ragi ambali and rice with chaaru, fall short of what's needed for TB recovery.
Doctors stress nutrition's crucial role in TB recovery . Dr. Swathi Krishna,a public health physician,warns that undernutrition can raise death risk for TB patients four to five times. Sandhya's health has worsened; after stopping medication for seven months, she now suffers fever and body aches, signs of potential TB relapse.
Lack of government financial help compounds issue. Nikshay Poshan Yojana, started in 2018, was meant to give ₹500 monthly to TB patients during treatment, raised to ₹1,000 in 2024, funded by Union and State governments. But many,like Sandhya,haven’t seen this aid for over six months .
T. Ramesh, A.P. State Nodal Officer,admitted delays in updating payment systems have blocked fund disbursement since December 2025. He noted that nearly 29,000 patients got payments in March,yet many are still waiting. This financial gap leaves patients vulnerable, especially in remote areas with limited healthcare access.
Sandhya's struggle isn't unique. Patients from Alluri Sitharama Raju,NTR,Chittoor, and Eluru districts report similar aid delays. Lakshmi,37, a farmer from another tribal hamlet, was diagnosed with extra pulmonary TB in June 2026. She calls proper nutrition a luxury after years with undiagnosed symptoms before her TB diagnosis.
Despite health issues, Lakshmi works fields growing paddy,carrots,and turmeric. Income from turmeric and carrot sales supports her family for year,but falls short for treatment or proper diet. “Sometimes,we get a good amount,like ₹20,000,” she says,underscoring their fragile financial state .
The Indian government knows nutrition's importance in TB treatment, launching programs like Ni-kshay Mitra in 2022 to encourage public donations of nutrition baskets to TB patients. Initial interest waned due to donor fatigue . Dr. Ramesh noted over 400,000 food baskets have been distributed in Andhra Pradesh since program started, but need still outstrips supply.
As India battles the world's highest TB case numbers, making up 28% of TB-related deaths, addressing these systemic issues is crucial. Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacillus thrives in poverty, and without enough support, patients like Sandhya and Lakshmi face tough battles against both the disease and socio-economic barriers .
In a nation where TB is often seen as a poor person's disease, the overlap of health and poverty is a major challenge. Ongoing aid delays threaten individual health and public health efforts to fight TB in India . For Sandhya,the road to recovery is full of hurdles, spotlighting urgent need for systemic reforms for timely aid.
