Following this, chemists have now started sharing the details of TB patients to health officials and it is helping in keeping a tab on the number of afflicted people in the state.
With an aim to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) from the country by 2025 is accomplished, the state government has roped in chemists to identify TB cases in the state. To sensitise chemists and druggists about their role in the campaign, workshops have been conducted across the state. Following this, chemists have now started sharing the details of TB patients to health officials and it is helping in keeping a tab on the number of afflicted people in the state.
“More than 45,000 chemists and druggists across the state were asked to give the details of patients buying TB medicines, along with the name of the doctor treating them,” Ajay Phatak, drug controller-II told DNA. “28 workshops have been organised in districts for chemists and druggists. They have to compulsorily make entry of TB medicines sold to TB patients in Schedule H1 register and share the detailed information with the health department,” he added.
State health department is of the view that chemists play an important role in keeping a count of TB patients. It is worth mentioning that the Union ministry of health and family welfare has issued a gazette notification in March this year with the provision of penalty and punishment for not notifying TB patients.
After the notification, many private doctors and hospitals in the state have started sharing information about TB patients. Druggists and chemists, who used to keep themselves away from notifying TB patients have stopped stocking medicines for TB. “As a result the notification rate of TB patients in state has increased to 19 per lakh in 2017 which was 16 per lakh in 2015,” Dr VK Mathur, Director, public Health told DNA.
TRACKING TB
As per the health department data, in 2017 (January to December), there were 1,06,947 TB patients in Rajasthan of which 84,537 TB patients were notified by the public health facilities and 22,410 were notified by the private health facilities. There are 2,559 Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) TB patients and 190 extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB patients, who are under treatment.
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