Meeting in Tinsukia discusses constraints in dealing with diagnosed TB patients

Our Correspondent

TINSUKIA: The District Level TB Forum of Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) held its first meeting at the DC’s conference hall in Tinsukia on Wednesday with Pabitra Kumar Das, ADC in the chair.

Dr Trishna Borah, the DTO (District Tuberculosis Officer), Tinsukia while underlining the need to incorporate community-based response to eradicate tuberculosis under National Strategic Plan (2017-25), said that India having one-fourth of global TB population, regular interactions with various stakeholders could help understand the challenges and solutions. The meeting was attended by representatives from various government departments, NGOs, Tinsukia Municipal Board, journalists and National Chambers of Commerce, besides others.

Dr Borah presented a detailed status report of Tinsukia district and highlighted the constraints being encountered in dealing with diagnosed TB patients. Out of the target population of 7,650 and 7,065 screened symptoms, the sputum was examined for 167 cases of which nine patients were diagnosed with TB. She further informed that though the mortality rate in Tinsukia district had been considerably reduced from 108 in 2015 to 25 in 2019, there was lack of proper monitoring in private notified cases even as the number of incidences was higher in tea garden belts.

Citing education and malnutrition are the two main causes of tuberculosis, Dr Altaf Ahmed, Joint Director of Health, Tinsukia, while participating actively in the discussion, said discontinuation of medication was a biggest challenge in containment of the disease. In his observation, Pabitra Kumar Das, ADC (Health), said besides door-to-door survey in suspected prone areas, each and every case should be closely monitored by the team. Awareness programmes in the vulnerable areas must be accelerated, he maintained.

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