Health Program

Project Meeting Details

Minutes of the virtual meeting held on 26 May 2022 under the chairmanship of Sh. R.K. Jain, Secretary General,
with State/UT IRCS branches – Strategy discussion for TB eradication.

Action Points for State/UT Branches

The State/UT branches are requested to take necessary action on the decisions taken in the meeting. A few of them are mentioned below:

  1. To find the donor, whether corporate, institute, organisation, or individual.
  2. To register the donor on the website https://tbcindia.gov.in and to associate the officials of IRCS branches.
  3. Distribution of the nutritional kits, preferably procured by the donor themselves, through their local volunteers to the TB patients in the chosen area.

1. Visit https://nikshay.in/ and click on “community support to TB patients -Nikshay Mitra”
2. Click on “Nikshay Mitra Registration- Form”, to register
3. Provide basic details of Nikshay Mitra – Name, Type, Mobile Number, e_mail id, Address, State, and District.
4. Commitment from Nikshay Mitra -Type of support to be committed, Duration of support committed (in years).
5. Geography selection (select one or more geographies below) -Area to be supported.
6. Tick on the declaration and then click on Submit button

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of India’s major public health problems. According to WHO estimates, India has the world’s largest tuberculosis epidemic. Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) is playing an increasingly important role in ensuring that TB cases are treated successfully and stigma and discrimination against the patients is eliminated. With the aim to reduce the raised burden of MDR TB, IRCS addresses vulnerable category of patients to retreatment patients. Their treatment is being supervised and follow up is adhered to.

 

Since 2009, IRCS has been working for TB patient in different states at the community level. In 2017 Indian Red Cross society targeted 700 cat II patients in selected pockets of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat. The project covers awareness meetings, care and support, patients counseling, IEC activities and discussion sessions at the government health facility within the designated TB units.

  • To ensure that Catt II TB patients, i.e. those who have stopped DOTs treatment without completion, are put back on treatment until they are cured.
  • To ensure effectiveness of treatment by providing care and nutritional support to the most vulnerable TB cases.
  • Prevention of Multi Drug Resistant TB.
  • To reduce the number of deaths, illness and impact from Tuberculosis and MDR TB in target areas.
  • To reduce the stigma and discrimination around TB through behavioural change communication and inclusion of TB patients in main stream.

TB Project

In India there are around 30,00,000 TB patients out of which 10 lakhs have given consent to share their personal details to receive kits under this program. The details of those patients can be shared with IRCS based on availability of donor and assurance that details will be treated confidentially and used only for the purpose of distribution of kit and rations.

 

During the year 2023-2024, nearly 32,000 nos. of TB patients were supported by registering donors. TB Patients were adopted by 16 state/UT branches (Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Punjab, and Uttarakhand, Utta Pradesh).

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TB is one of India’s major public health problems. According to WHO estimates, India has the world’s largest number of tuberculosis patients. Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) is playing an increasingly important role in ensuring that TB cases are treated successfully and find out ways & means to minimize stigma and discrimination against patients. With the aim to reduce the burden of MDR TB, IRCS addresses needs of the vulnerable people, arrange for the retreatment of patients and engages with those patients who are likely to default. While undergoing treatment these patients are being followed up and supported to enable full adherence to DOTs. Since 2009, IRCS has been working in support of TB patient in targeted communities in some states.

 

During the year 2023-2024, nearly 1200 patients were covered in the project districts in the states of Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab with the adherence rate of above 95%. The project covered awareness meetings, care and support patients counselling, IEC activities & discussion sessions at the government health facilities at their TB units & door to door services. Health checkups & TB screening camps were also organized.

 

 Goal and Objectives:

 

  • To ensure that Catt II TB patients, i.e. those who have stopped DOTs treatment without completion, are put back on treatment until they are cured.
  • To ensure effectiveness of treatment by providing care and nutritional support to the most vulnerable TB cases.
  • Prevention of Multi Drug Resistant TB.
  • To reduce the number of deaths, illness and impact from Tuberculosis and MDR TB in target areas.
  • To reduce the stigma and discrimination around TB through behavior change communication campaign and inclusion of TB patients in important fora.
Target areas and nos of patients
Sl. No. State Districts Patient
1 Haryana Faridabad & Palwal 300
2 Gujarat Ahmedabad district, Ahmedabad Urban & AMC 500
3 Punjab Amritsar & Jalandhar 600
Total 1400

The TB programme was extended in the year 2023-2024 under which a target of 300 TB patients was kept in the districts of Faridabad and Palwal. During the year 2023-2024, 446 TB patients were enrolled in Faridabad & Palwal district, out of which 261 were cured, 6 transferred out, 2 failures, 07 deaths and 170 were under treatment as on 31st March 2023.

 

Proper attention was paid on awareness activities during the year. In this regard, 26 advocacy awareness meetings and 107 Mohalla Meetings were arranged in Faridabad & Palwal by the Red Cross volunteers and district Coordinators so that the TB suspects living very close to the TB patients and others in surrounding areas should come forward for early diagnosis & treatment. Hand bills on the TB were distributed in the community. The volunteers held 1390 and 99 counselling sessions at DOT centres in Faridabad and Palwal respectively. 2313 and 942 home visits were made by Faridabad and Palwal district coordinators and volunteers.

The adherence report from the Haryana state branch shows that patient’s adherence rate is 99%. Following is the adherence report:
Nos. of patients enrolled No of cured patients No. of patients undergoing treatment Death/transfer Dis. Cont./failure Default No. of patient adherence % of patient’s adherence (without default)
446 261 170 08 07 446 99%

The TB programme was extended in the year 2023-2024 under which a target of 500 TB patients was kept in the districts of Ahmedabad. During the year 2023-2024, 500 TB patients were enrolled in Gujarat district, out of which 435 were cured, 55 TB patients under treatment, 10 deaths as on 31st March 2023.

 

 

Proper attention was paid on awareness activities during the year. In this regard, 20 advocacy awareness a meetings and Mohalla Meetings were arranged by the Red Cross volunteers and district Coordinators so that the TB suspects living very close to the TB patients and others in surrounding areas should come forward for early diagnosis & treatment. Hand bills on TB were distributed in the community.

Adherence
Nos. of patients enrolled No of cured patients No.of patients undergoing treatment Death/transf. Dis. Cont./failure Default No. of patient adherence % of patient’s adherence (without default)
500 435 55 10 500 99%

The Irish Red Cross supported the TB Project in the Punjab state branch for the year 2023-2024 under which a target of 600 TB patients was kept in the districts of Amritsar and Jalandhar. Volunteers conducted 1137 counselling sessions at the DOT centres and made 2948 home visits to TB patients. The project staff and volunteers also organised 160 group awareness meetings and 176 Mohalla meetings. The volunteers distributed 8740 TB hand bills.

Adherence reports
No. of patients enrolled No of cured patients No of patients undergoing treatment Death Failure/ transferred out Defaults Patient starts treatment from private No of patient adherence (without default) % of adherence ensured
1015 342 651 22 100%