Reporting of TB cases by private hospitals improves

Nagpur: After the government made it mandatory for private hospitals to notify TB detection, total 3,741 patients were notified in Nagpur city between January 2022 to November 2022. This number is nearly 84% of the total notification target given to private hospitals, which is highest in the last three years.
Due to Covid pandemic, only 2,315 TB patients were notified from city’s private hospitals in 2020, which was 47.2% of that year’s annual target. In 2021, private hospitals in Nagpur had reported 3,150 patients, which was nearly 60% of the year’s target. Significant improvement in TB notification in the 11 months of 2022 is a positive sign and could be taken as an important indication towards achieving the aim of TB eradication till 2025.
Divisional health department of Nagpur released the figures of TB notifications for 2022 recently. Total 7,155 patients have been notified from Nagpur city this year. Out of them, 3,741 patients came from private sector, while 3,414 from government hospitals. This also indicates that more patients are now getting treatment in private hospitals than in government facilities.
“For the first time in 2022, the number of patients notified by private hospitals is more than government facilities. During the last three years, the government facilities were treating more TB patients,” said a senior official in TB cell of the divisional health department.
The government has launched Nikshay Mitra platform for registration of TB patients, which has helped a lot in improving TB notifications, the official said.
“All private sector service providers, registered on Nikshay, are eligible to receive incentives of Rs500 for notification of each TB patient and, Rs500 for reporting treatment outcome of their patient,” the official added.
Improved notification helps in ensuring timely payment of incentives of Rs500 per patient per month in a transparent and efficient manner. “Needy TB patients receive financial assistance and aid to help them complete treatment, which is very crucial for achieving eradication of TB,” said Dr Sushant Meshram, head of pulmonology department of Super Speciality Hospital.
“One-third population of the world is in the grip of tuberculosis and if the mortality rate is considered then it is the second largest life-threatening disease after HIV/ AIDS,” he added.