India Business Alliance

In response to the increasing threat of the TB epidemic on businesses, the India Business Alliance was developed by the World Economic Forum’s Global Health Initiative. Member companies are engaged in the Alliance by implementing disease-control activities in their workplaces and through their community initiatives. The key principle behind the partnership and framework is simple: each partner focuses on their strengths and collaborates in their areas of expertise. The Global Health Initiative is coordinating and facilitating these partnerships and working to extend the participation of the business sector in TB control. All companies, large or small, are welcome to join these public-private partnerships.

Currently, 32 companies have committed to TB control as members of the India Business Alliance, including Aditya Birla Group, Becton and Dickinson, E2E SerWiz Solutions, Eli Lilly India, I Energizer, India Hotels, Jubilant Organosys, Larsen and Toubro, Lupin Ltd, Modicare Foundation, NELCO, Novartis India, Rallis, Reliance Industries, Siemens India, Tata Automation, Tata Chemicals, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Council for Community Initiatives, Tata Interactive Systems, Tata International, Tata Metaliks, Tata Refractories, Tata Steel, Tata Tea Ltd, Tata Technologies, Tinplate, TITAN, Trent Ltd, Vedanta Group, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Voltas.

Read the India Business Alliance charter (PDF; 6 pgs; 124k)
Read the information sheet

A wealth of tools and best practices are available for companies to help them initiate TB control activities. Guidelines for workplace TB control activities developed by GHI, WHO and ILO are available to help companies to plan and implement TB control activities.
A TB Workplace Awareness Toolkit, which was developed by the GHI with support from the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership in partnership with the International Council of Nurses, is an important awareness-building toolkit for TB and multi-drug resistant forms of the disease.

Achievements of the India Business Alliance

• IBA has grown from 7 founding to 32 member companies
• IBA TB control aims to enable people to return to work asap
• IBA TB control programmes estimated to reach 4 million people including 150, 000 employees, their families and communities
• Thousands detected, treated and cured of TB
  

About RNTCP

The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), part of the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is based on the Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) strategy. It was initially implemented through the network of healthcare facilities under the public health departments of the state governments. After accomplishing broad coverage of India under DOTS, RNTCP now aims to widen the scope for providing standardized, good quality treatment and diagnostic services to all TB patients in a patient-friendly environment. With the recognition of the significant roles that various health sectors could play in TB control, RNTCP has been actively seeking collaborations, which has resulted in many unique and successful models of public-private mix in TB control. RNTCP is supportive of companies expressing interest in getting involved in TB Control activities.

Key Facts

• One fifth of the globe's annual rate of new TB cases occurs in India
• Out of the 1.8 million new cases, 0.8 million are infectious
• Unless properly treated, infectious pulmonary TB patients can infect up to 10-15 people a year
• There are approximately 400,000 TB deaths each year, with more than a thousand per day
• The HIV epidemic is likely to increase TB cases in India
• The emergence of Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR TB) may cause the situation to worsen further as MDR TB cases require longer periods of treatment with more expensive and toxic drugs
• TB may slow India’s overall economic growth; the annual cost to the country has been pegged at US$ 300 million in direct costs and at US$ 3 billion in indirect costs
  

Contact
For more information, please contact shaloo.puri@weforum.org