The Hindu : `Involve NGOs in TB treatment'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 31, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

`Involve NGOs in TB treatment'

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI March 30. The Chennai Corporation has achieved 87 per cent `complete cure rate' in treatment of TB patients in the city, the Mayor, M.K.Stalin, said here.

Commending the civic body for its efforts at the World TB Day function, Mr. Stalin said as part of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), 48,724 persons were screened till February and 11,864, found to be affected with the disease, were being treated. By now, nearly 90 per cent of the patients came out of the infection.

However, to achieve a cent per cent cure rate, the civic body would have to involve NGOs in the control and treatment procedures and would also invite direct participation from the public, he added.

While men affected with TB found themselves in the midst of an economic loss, women were socially ostracised. With the disease affecting about 5,000 persons everyday in the country, the total economic loss being incurred by the nation amounted to Rs. 12,000 crores. The disease severely affected the children's educational prospects due to a prolonged infection. About 1,000 persons in India succumbed to TB everyday.

``The greatest reason for the spread of TB was poverty. Hence, TB control should also have a focus on poverty alleviation. The Government priority has been on awareness and prevention on one side and free treatment on the other'', Mr. Stalin said.

In course of its week-long special campaign for TB control in slum areas, the civic officials said they treated 2,184 symptomatic cases of which 64 were confirmed to have the disease. The patients were being treated through the Direct Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) procedure.

Besides providing the necessary drugs for the programme, the Union Government allocated Rs. 43 lakhs for carrying out TB control activities under the RNTCP in the city this financial year.

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