Gurgaon /New Delhi: Medanta’s TB –Free Haryana mission is very close to its fruition. It is now given that Haryana will be the first state in the country to become TB free. The success of Haryana model reinforces the war cry- ‘India will win, TB will lose’.
The Hospital major is now all set to push the boundary and scale up its most successful TB control mission in other states. Medanta the Medicity, in association with Government of Haryana, had launched “Mission TB-Free Haryana” under the aegis of “Call to Action: TB-Free India” a GOI & USAID initiative in 2015.
Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director and a global grade heart surgeon, reiterated his pledge to uproot TB from the state on World TB Day today. Talking to Medicare News, Dr Trehan said, ‘we are committed to making Haryana the first state that will be TB free – through “Mission TB Free Haryana” which has been our endeavour in close association with the state RNTCP program.’
Talking to Medicare News, Dr Bornali Datta, associate Director, Respiratory medicine, Medanta, said, ‘Our TB free Haryana mission has evolved into the best TB control model in the country. We wish to scale up this model in other states, especially those states like Jharkhand where Medanta Hospital has a presence.’
Dr Datta, lead, TB free Haryana Project further said, ‘We have run a very successful program Mission TB Free Haryana along with the Haryana government. And as all TB stakeholders align to take to fruition India’s pledge for TB free India by 2025, we are ready to contribute our exemplary experience. It is certain that Haryana will excel other states in its fight against this debilitating disease and emerge as first state to be free from this. The results of our mission in 16 districts of Haryana have shown a significant response. To extend it to 22 districts, we are soon going to add 4th mobile van in our fleet.’
Dr Datta added, ‘ We believe our model where radiology complements existing bacteriological methods provided by government and use of active case finding methods will be the way forward in intensifying diagnosis of TB.’.
Medanta started “Mission TB Free Haryana” in close association with the state RNTCP services, complementing the existing microscopy network with mobile digital x-ray services. Adhering closely with the RNTCP diagnostic algorithm, Medanta organizes “camps” in all PHCs and CHCs of the district, running to a pre-scheduled timetable organized by the District TB Officer. The vans go daily to the pre-assigned PHC, requiring a period of 6-8 weeks per district, to cover the district entirely. A week before the camps start, IEC activities are done via, encouraging all chest symptomatic patients to present. All presumptive TB patients give a sample of sputum and have a chest x-ray done at the camp. They are asked to return for a second sputum sample next morning. All smear negatives with CXR suggestive of TB are referred for CBNAAT testing.
In 16 districts, over 10,000 presumptive TB patients have been screened. Three goals have been achieved – Reaching the difficult to reach, active case finding strategy and effective use of the chest x-ray as a screening tool. In the year 2016 – case notification rates in districts had gone up in the quarter that the strategy was implemented. For the year 2017, the case notification rates are awaited.
The second round has now started and follow up patients are being recalled to repeat chest x-ray, having completed 6 months of treatment (for the clinically diagnosed group). A significant number show significant resolution on chest x-ray. Chest x-ray has a significant role in targeted screening of TB, as stated by WHO.
