Chandigarh, March 23- With a view to effectively treat those suffering from tuberculosis, the Directly Observed Treatment Strategy (DOTS) PLUS programme would be expanded to cover all districts in Haryana in a phased manner. Also, to address the problem of tuberculosis in HIV patients, an intensified TB-HIV package has been launched in the State.
This was stated by Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda in a message issued here today on the eve of World TB Day. Mr Hooda said that every year World TB Day is observed on March 24 to reaffirm our commitment to TB control activities. The theme of world TB Day 2012 campaign and the slogan is ‘Stop TB in my life time’.
He said that to deal with the drug resistance, Haryana has launched DOT PLUS activities for multi drug resistant TB patients. In the first phase of DOT PLUS programme, seven districts namely Rohtak, Panipat, Sonepat, Jind, Karnal, Jhajjar and Bhiwani have been covered. The programme will be extended in all the districts of Haryana in phased manner. Provision has been made for free investigations and ancillary drugs for Multi-drug Resistant (MDR) T.B. cases at district level. Since implementation, 208 MDR TB cases have been put on treatment free of cost in seven districts.
Haryana Health Minister, Rao Narender Singh said that the Government has taken effective steps to control Tuberculosis. However, we need to do more quickly so that the achievements gained so far are not lost and strive hard for achieving the goal of TB control.
As TB and HIV tend to fuel each other, an intensified TB-HIV package has been launched in Haryana to provide routine offer of voluntary counseling and testing for HIV infection to all TB patients, de-centralized co-trimoxazole prophylaxis for TB-HIV infected TB patients, referral of HIV infected TB patients to ART Centre for evaluation and treatment.
Tuberculosis is a major health problem in India caused by a Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Everyday, more than 1000 persons die from TB in India, two persons every three minutes and four lakh every year. One sputum positive patient can infect 10-15 persons in a year, if left untreated.The goal of TB Control Programme is to decrease mortality and morbidity due to TB and cut the transmission of infection until TB ceases to be a major public health problem. At present, there are nearly 37913 TB patients in Haryana who have access under the highly effective Directly Observed Treatment Strategy. With the implementation of the internationally recommended DOTS strategy, Haryana has achieved a success rate of 85.9 per cent and sputum conversion rate of 90.1 per cent. Under the second phase of the Revised National Tuberculosis Contro(RNTC) Programme in Haryana, more than 7074 Directly Observed Treatment Centres, 230 Microscopic Centres and 49 TB Units are functioning in the State. Phase II of the RNTCP is a step towards achieving the TB – related Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets and Directly Observed Treatment Short course- ‘DOTS’ remains the core strategy.
Five Medical Colleges, PGIMS Rohtak, Medical College at Agroha, Hisar and M.M College, Mullana, Medical College at Gurgaon and Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College are working in RNTCP as DMC and DOT centres. Others involved in the programme to make it a success include ESIs, Railways and jail hospitals, 65 private practitioners, 1500 community volunteers and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs).
The Government is providing free sputum microscopy facilities and medicines to patients in a period of six to eight months. The DOT provider can be a health worker or community volunteer who is acceptable and accountable to the health system, gives medicine to the patients at DOT Centre made near the patients’house. About one per cent to three per cent new TB cases and 12 per cent re-treatment cases become multi drug resistant due to incomplete and inadequate TB treatment.
The State Health Department has established and upgraded Intermediate Reference Laboratory (IRL) at Government Public Health Laboratory, Karnal with trained Microbiologist to conduct the culture and drug sensitivity testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The Intermediate Reference Lab. (IRL), Karnal has already been accredited by Government of India under RNTCP. This lab diagnoses Multi Drug Resistant TB cases free of cost besides providing quality training to RNTCP staff.