From my early medical training at Rajan Babu TB Hospital in Delhi during the 1980s, I was deeply moved by the suffering of children in the slums of Jahangirpuri, Selam Pur, Nand Nagri and many other settlement colonies of Delhi, silently battling tuberculosis. That experience sowed the seeds of a life-long mission — to make childhood TB visible, diagnosable, treatable, and ultimately preventable.
This cause, along with several other child health initiatives has defined the purpose and direction of my medical journey over the last 35+ years.
📍 Milestones of Impact
🔹 Diagnosed and treated over 2,000 pediatric TB patients — with empathy, dignity, and follow-up
🔹 Offered free OPD services for TB patients (ages 0–14).
🔹 Adopted 1,200 children under the Nikshay Mitra Yojana — ensuring nutritional and psychological support
🔹 Ensured 100% BCG vaccination in thousands of newborns — over 30,000 in total across my career
🔹 Launched village-level TB awareness drives as per TB Mukt Gram initiative — starting with Shekhpura village under TU Ganaur, Sonipat & then adding village Purkhash, my native village, for this initiative.
🔹 Organized TB poster competitions and school pledges to raise awareness among adolescents
🔹 Under Public – Private Partnership model, worked closely with the District TB Officer, Civil Surgeon, CMO, WHO, and Ministry of Health for integration of TB work with immunization drives
🔹 Recipient of multiple appreciation letters from WHO, the Deputy Commissioner, the CMO, the Director General Health Services, Ministry of health and Family Welfare & Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.
🏥 Why Pediatric TB?
Pediatric TB is often missed or misdiagnosed. It is a disease of silence — difficult to collect sputum, vague symptoms, and hence limiting the fight against pediatric TB eradication. There is under-reporting of pediatric tuberculosis. It demands a special commitment, time, and experience. I accepted this challenge.
🌾 Community Work
- Adopted Shekhpura village to make it a pediatric TB-free village in my region as per TB Mukt Gram initiative and adopted Purkhas village as well.
- Vision to adopt 20 more villages and create local TB champions through school awareness programs
- To increase BCG vaccination drives and community awareness initiatives.
- Promoting social ownership of TB — where every villager knows TB signs and no child is untreated.
- I personally reach out to communities, going door-to-door to identify undiagnosed TB cases and offer help with compassion and dignity
- I aspire to publish my clinical insights and research findings to educate the medical community, enrich pediatric tuberculosis knowledge, and promote evidence-based best practices.
- With decades of frontline experience, I am also committed to collaborating with researchers and institutions to develop a more effective and longer-lasting vaccine than BCG, advance shorter and child-friendly TB treatment regimens, and contribute to efforts aimed at preventing the emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
- Over the last 35+ years, I have devoted my professional life to this cause.
Dr. N.K. Mittal being welcomed warmly at the TB Detection Camp organised by Bharat Vikas Parishad, Veer Savarkar Branch, Ganaur.
Dr. N.K. Mittal with Mayor of Sonipat, Shri Rajiv Jain (senior BJP leader), District TB Officer Dr. Tarun Yadav, Dr. J.S. Dhankar, and other dignitaries during the lamp-lighting ceremony at a TB awareness and detection camp — a collective commitment to fighting tuberculosis at the grassroots level.
Certificate of participation awarded to Dr. N.K. Mittal at the Paediatric Tuberculosis and Respiratory Update, 2002 (IAP Delhi), reflecting his long-standing dedication to advancing knowledge and care in childhood tuberculosis and respiratory diseases.
Certificate of participation awarded to Dr. N.K. Mittal by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics for the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP), reflecting his enduring commitment to the national mission of eradicating TB in children.
Recognized as a Ni-Kshay Mitra Dr. N.K. Mittal has been honored with a Certificate of Appreciation by the District Health and Family Welfare Society & NTEP, Sonipat, for registering as a Ni-Kshay Mitra under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan. Through this initiative, Dr. Mittal actively supports persons undergoing treatment for tuberculosis (TB), contributing to the vision of a TB-free India. His dedicated efforts reflect his lifelong commitment to public health, compassion for patients, and tireless service to the community.
Certificate of Appreciation — Ni-Kshay Mitra Dr. N.K. Mittal has been formally acknowledged by the District Health and Family Welfare Society & NTEP, Sonipat, as a Ni-Kshay Mitra under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan. Through this initiative, Dr. Mittal provides nutritional, medical, and emotional support to patients undergoing treatment for tuberculosis (TB), reinforcing his lifelong mission to fight childhood TB and strengthen community health. This recognition highlights Dr. Mittal’s unwavering dedication to a TB-free India, reflecting his values of compassion, service, and public health leadership.
