Corporation ropes in NGOs to enumerate tuberculosis patients

“We have launched TB-free Chennai Initiative (TFCI) to achieve zero mortality and disability due to tuberculosis in the city. A part of this initiative is to conduct active case finding,” a Corporation official said. The official added that the active case finding drive would involve in door-to-door screening for TB among the vulnerable population, collecting samples and providing diagnostic services for needy people.

The civic body has an objective of identifying at least 110 TB patients per lakh population in the city per year. “To achieve the target, the Corporation has decided to appoint 14 NGOs, who have expertise in community-related activities. We have issued a request for proposal (RFP) inviting the interested NGOs to apply and take part in the initiative,” the official added. According to the RFP document, the civic body would pay Rs 500 for every new case found in the community and registered with the government institutions. The NGOs would be paid only for the cases identified from the community, not the ones identified at government hospitals, urban primary health centres or those who already are on treatment from private hospitals.

The data shows that there are nearly 20,000 TB patients in the city, undergoing treatment in government and private hospitals.

Meanwhile, the civic body had launched Mobile Diagnostic Units (MDU) to visit slum areas to identify and treat TB patients. The civic body had converted seven vans into MDUs by retrofitting the vehicles with digital X-ray machines, sputum collection and examination facilities. The civic body also has plans to issue free vouchers to the patients so that they can undergo X-ray screening to check for abnormalities.