Poverty, income inequality and undernutrition are some of the factors responsible for the high incidence of tuberculosis cases, and migration of patients poses a serious challenge to health care providers.
PEOPLE WITH THEIR FACES COVERED WITH cloth, and coughing intermittently, stream into a government-run dispensary in South Delhi’s Kalkaji locality after 8 a.m. and form a long queue in front of a large window. Two men are seated at a table placed near the window, in a small room stacked with cardboard boxes containing medical kits.
This is a typical centre where the World Health Organisation (WHO)-recommended Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) to tuberculosis (TB) is provided. It serves as the first point of contact for TB patients, and the facilities are free. The centre is staffed by one laboratory assistant and an adviser to ensure systematic follow-up. Depending on how seriously a patient is affected, treatment could take anywhere between six months and two years.
One of the staffers, who did not want to be named, said there were 135 patients coming for follow-up treatment at the centre. “We provide the patients tablets or any other medication mandated in their treatment regimen. Our main role is to ensure that they follow and complete their doses. This is critical because many of them tend to stop the doses once they start feeling better. We sometimes visit their homes to counsel them to continue the medication and complete the course,” the staffer said.
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An empty package
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