Involvement of non-allopathic private practitioners under DOTS in an urban area of North India
Singh, A.A.; Arora, R.C.; Wares, D.F.; Chauhan, L.S.; Granich, R.
Indian Journal of Tuberculosis 52(4): 184-187
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5707 Document Number: 261873
Background: In an urban area of a north Indian district (population 150 000), nine private practitioners of non-allopathic medicine, including five with no qualification and two private paramedical staff, were trained as per programme guidelines before being involved as treatment observers in the directly observed therapy/short course-based Revised National tuberculosis (TB) Control Programme and supervised. They were not given any financial incentive. Material and Methods: During 2002, they managed 185 TB patients (85% of the cases in the urban area) and amongst the 63 new smear-positive patients, the cure rate was 84%. Over a 6 month period, 6% of the total new smear-positive patients detected in the area were referred by these private practitioners. Results: Results suggest that non-allopathic practitioners and paramedical staff from the private sector can make a significant contribution to TB control, by increasing case detection and treatment observation.