The efforts made by the Government of India to control a life-threatening diseases like tuberculosis (TB) are really commendable.

Teams of the health department are going door-to door to ensure the complete eradication of TB from India, offering free treatment of the disease.

However, these days the health department teams are facing resistance in Muslim areas of Agra where they are being treated with suspicion in light of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)/National Register of Citizens (NRC) dispute that is raging on these days.

People are afraid of giving their family details to the health workers, fearing that these details will be used against them in preparing the NRC.

Reports indicating this resistance have been filed by health teams to the senior health officials and the officials, in turn, have asked the health teams to take the help of Muslim intellectuals.

A health official told India Today that the revised TB eradication mission is being conducted door-to-door to find out all TB patients in the city so that the disease is wiped out completely. "This campaign started on February 17. When the teams went to localities in Shamshabad, Kagarol, Achhnera, Kiraoli and areas of Tajganj, Pakki Sarai, Mantola, Shaheed Nagar, Loha Mandi and Nai Ki Mandi, they were not allowed to collect information. In some areas, the teams were told that they will not be allowed in the locality as these teams are not conducting health surveys, but surreptitiously gathering information about Muslim families," the health official said.

Local tuberculosis officer Dr UB Singh said that it is "proving difficult to make the Muslims understand that this is a health campaign and it has nothing to do with CAA/NRC".

"Some intellectuals are helping the health teams but the resistance from the locals is making it tough to provide adequate health coverage to everyone," UB Singh said.

UB Singh said said that so far, 900 people have been found during screening tests with Tuberculosis symptoms and they are being subjected to detailed treatment now. Thirty of them are found to be suffering from extensive TB infection and are undergoing treatment.

Senior physician Dr SK Kalra told India Today that the government plans to end TB from India by 2025 and these health teams are going to the various localities to fulfill their mission. "Thirty-eight supervisors and 192 teams are currently conducting this survey and it is nowhere connected to CAA/NRC. People should not be misinformed," SK Kalra said.