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  • ddhCTP The diagnostic infrastructure in the public

    2019-05-28

    The diagnostic infrastructure in the public sector relies mainly on sputum smear microscopy that cannot detect drug resistance. It is only when patients fail to get better on standard treatment, or have recurrence of tuberculosis, that they get screened for MDR-TB, resulting in morbidity, continued transmission, and movement of patients from the public to the private sector. Recognising these problems, the RNTCP is actively scaling up capacity to diagnose and treat MDR-TB. If adequately funded and successful, these initiatives should improve patient experience in the public sector. But the stark reality of tuberculosis in India is that 50% of all cases are managed in the private sector, where the quality of tuberculosis care is suboptimal with inaccurate diagnosis, non-standard drug prescriptions, and limited effort to ensure treatment adherence. Also, private practitioners often do not screen for drug resistance and empirical antibiotic abuse is rampant. All this means that drug resistance can emerge or worsen, with poor outcomes. Lastly, out-of-pocket expenditure in the private sector can be catastrophic. Are there examples of initiatives that address the above systemic problems? is a non-governmental organisation that extends the RNTCP model, and uses public sector diagnostics and drugs to orchestrate a solution by establishing community-based treatment centres and ensuring adherence using local ddhCTP providers and partners. It also leverages biometrics to increase efficiency and effectiveness. It relies on donors and the public sector for funding. This social enterprise model, however, does not offer a solution to patients who seek care in the private sector. is a donor-supported social marketing and social franchising model that delivers affordable reproductive and primary care (including tuberculosis) in underserved rural areas, by leveraging local entrepreneurs and informal providers and by connecting them to the formal sector and specialists via telemedicine. The , a coalition of more than 60 private laboratories, supported by non-profits such as the Clinton Health Access Initiative, has increased the availability and affordability of WHO-endorsed tuberculosis tests. Although IPAQT is addressing the problem of suboptimal diagnosis, glucagon does not cover treatment.
    RNTCP recently announced “universal access to quality diagnosis and treatment for all tuberculosis patients in the community” as its goal in the new National Strategic Plan. Recognising the need to leverage the private sector in developing a solution, the plan includes engagement of the private sector using “public private interface agencies” to enlist, sensitise, incentivise, and monitor diagnosis and treatment by private providers, to provide patients\' cost offsets such as subsidised diagnostics and free drugs ddhCTP to privately treated patients, and improve case notifications to the RNTCP. Ongoing pilot projects in Mumbai and Patna should inform policies for refinements and scale-up of this model. Outside of India, Operation ASHA is now replicating its model in Cambodia. In Bangladesh, tuberculosis programme with has been successful in the public sector. This model is now creating linkages with private providers. Additionally, they have created partnerships with garment industry owners in export processing zones that provide factory workers with better access to tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment using BRAC\'s infrastructure. With donor support, and partners are expanding access to Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid Inc, CA, USA), a WHO-endorsed test, in the private sector in Dhaka, Jakarta, and Karachi, through mass verbal screening in private clinic waiting rooms, and referrals for computer-aided digital X-ray diagnosis. This model includes management of comorbid conditions such as diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to generate revenue for this social enterprise.