Despite the efforts of health systems, about 40% of Tuberculosis (TB) patients in India go undiagnosed or if diagnosed, are not reported. Moreover, even among those reported and/or diagnosed with TB, many do not turn up follow up treatment, both in cases of drug sensitive and drug resistant TB.

Social factors such as stigma and discrimination push many to opt for treatment at private hospitals. However, the downside of this is inadequate financial support. Availability and access to services at a convenient time, social factors like work, migration, gender, etc.; and other economic barriers such as cost of transport, ancillary medicines and investigations in private sector; are other major deterrents.

To mitigate these factors through community engagement, the State Health and Family Welfare Department has planned to set up State and District TB fora. A Government Order in this regard was issued recently.

This follows a directive from the Union Health Ministry that aims to meet its ambitious target of eradicating TB by 2025, five years ahead of the target fixed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Recently, the Union Ministry had also directed all States to expand TB diagnostics services at all Primary Health Centres (PHCs), State Joint Director (TB) M. Manjula told The Hindu.

While the State TB forum, headed by the Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), will have 33 members, the District TB fora will be headed by the jurisdictional Deputy Commissioners and have 16 members each. Members will be drawn from a cross-section of society including from the Prisons Department, State AIDS Prevention Society, Women and Child Welfare Department, anganwadis and NGOs, among others. They will have to meet once every six months.

Dr. Manjula asserted that the State has a robust TB detection mechanism.

While 80,000 new TB cases were notified in 2017-2018, 79,892 new cases have been notified this year till December 11. Of this, 12,661 cases have been notified by the private sector, Dr. Manjula added.