National Tuberculosis Programme

About the National Tuberculosis Programme

The National Tuberculosis Programme (NTBP), previously known as the Singapore TB Elimination Programme (STEP), was launched by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in 1997 to strengthen the national tuberculosis (TB) prevention and care efforts in response to the then-decade-long stagnation in the country's TB incidence rate. STEP was renamed NTBP in 2022 to signify the consolidation of services under one umbrella of a national programme.

Read more about STEP.

NTBP is divided into two domains: the public health and clinical arms.

The public health arm comprises two main branches:

• Surveillance, Epidemiology and Adherence (SEA), which oversees the National TB registry, TB surveillance, and enforcement of public health measures; and

• TB Operations and Policy (TOP) which oversees preventive work, cluster investigations and policy matters.

The clinical arm comprises two main branches:

• National TB Care Centre (NTBCC) which serves as the national referral centre for TB evaluation, treatment and monitoring.  

• National TB Screening Centre (NTBSC) which manages the screening of close contacts for active TB disease and latent TB infection, and provides preventive treatment for those with latent TB infection.

Vision

NTBP envisions a TB-free Singapore with people-centred care.

NTBP aims to protect the people of Singapore from TB through the following strategies:

• Prompt diagnosis and management of TB

• Effective contact tracing and screening

• Building strong partnerships with stakeholders

• Developing sustainable strategies to eliminate TB

Team