Date:27/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/27/stories/2008112750280200.htm

Andhra Pradesh

TB: Rs. 2 lakh worth medicines for patients

Staff Reporter

SANGAREDDY: Tuberculosis (TB) patients suffering from multi-drug resistant-TB (MDR-TB) will be supplied medicines worth of about Rs. 2 lakh, during the treatment period of two years.

Collector Peeyush Kumar recently initiated such distribution in the district by offering Rs. 25,000 worth medicines to a patient diagnosed with MDR-TB by a panel of doctors at the Chest Hospital, Hyderabad. Another five patients were being supplied similar medicines and one more patient currently being treated at the Chest Hospital would be given medicines once he was discharged from the hospital.

WB funding

The medicines were being funded by the World Bank under Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria.

Under the Direct Observed Treatment Short Course Chemotherapy (DOTs) Plus project, a pilot project was taken up few months ago in Medak, Ranga Reddy, Hyderabad and Nalgonda districts to identify and treat MDR-TB patients. So far 20 cases were detected and out of them eight were from the district. One of the patients had died.

TB patients were being differentiated in three categories -- nucleus pulmonary sputum positive cases, retreatment/ relapse failure and other cases and nucleus pulmonary smear negative, extra pulmonary cases. The medicines were being purchased by the Central TB Division and directly sent to the State TB officer who in-turn sends them to the Hyderabad Chest Hospital .

“We are encouraging even private medical practitioners (PMPs) and registered medical practitioners (RMPs) to refer patients so that we can supply medicines where as they can get their fee from the patients. An incentive of Rs. 2,500 will be given to DOTs workers for assisting patients,” District TB Control Officer Dr. P.H. Vishnu said.