AMC to greet TB treatment defaulters with roses

On World TB Day, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s health officials officials will meet people who abandoned tuberculosis treatment midway and give them roses, and try to convince them to start the treatment once again.

“To get tuberculosis patients who have left treatment halfway to restart it, we will contact them on World TB Day, which is on Saturday, and convince them to complete the treatment. Most of the time, when we contact such patients, they follwo the advice,” said Dr Bhavin Solanki, in-charge medical officer of health, AMC.

According to data from the TB department of AMC, 867 cases last year left treatment midway.

Health officer, Dr Arumugam Pillai, is looking after the operations of the TB department since 2001. She has observed that migration is the main reason patients default on treatment. “Most of the people are migratory and fall under defaulter category. There are also social taboos against  the disease, which is painful,” Dr Pillai said. Educating and counselling them is a must, the doctor said. So a team of ward health officials will greet the defaulters with roses and counsel them.

“If a patient leaves treatment halfway it spreads to others. The government is trying to cure such patients, and they should try to complete their treatment,” said Dr Tejas Shah, TB project coordinator, AMC.