Diagnosing TB remains a tall order

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Diagnosing TB remains a tall order

Pranesh Sarkar

KOLKATA, April 16: The state health department is baffled after it

has found out that a large number of tuberculosis cases have gone

undetected in the state over the past couple of years.

This, senior officials said, could lead to several public health

problems in the near future.

To gain control of the situation, the additional chief secretary of

state health department, Mr KK Bagchi and the director of health

services, Dr Sanchita Baksi held a meeting with the chief medical

officers of health (CMOH) recently and asked them to take initiatives

to bring all suspected tuberculosis patients to government healthcare

establishments.

Officials of the department said over the past few years, a smaller

number of patients in comparison to what was estimated had visited

the government hospitals. It was also found that the " missing "

patients had not visited the private practitioners. In India, a total

of 1,47,728 new tuberculosis patients were registered for treatment

in 2006. But in West Bengal, which is considered to have a higher

rate of tuberculosis prevalence, only 13,680 cases were registered in

2006.

Officials also said the undetected and resistant cases, which usually

occur when a patient does not complete the dosage of DOTS, could

spread the disease further. If HIV positive people become infected

with tuberculosis, it would also create more trouble.

The top brass of the state health department made it clear to the

CMOHs that there are funds under the National Tuberculosis Control

Programme (NTCP). But the majority of the funds remain unutilised as

fewer patients are registered with government hospitals.

The CMOHs were asked to take up the issue and find out where

the " missing " patients have gone. The CMOHs were also asked to launch

awareness generating programmes and involve all the private

practitioners even quacks in their concerned districts in the

programme.

However, apart from the NTCP, the state health department has asked

the districts to increase the number of institutional deliveries.

The top health department officials held a meeting with CMOHs of five

districts, Purulia, Bankura, Malda, North Dinajpur and South

Dinajpur, which have failed to perform well in terms of institutional

deliveries and asked them to take initiatives to increase the number

of institutional deliveries.

These five districts were asked to submit a detailed plan so they can

achieve better results. In the state, institutional delivery rate is

about 50 per cent. But the state asked the districts to achieve the

target of 80 per cent institutional delivery.

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