Completed project:

Community participation for Health and development ( CPHD ) is committed to develop the health, nutritional and environmental status of the people. The organization concentrated on tuberculosis, which is considered to be a major public health problem and the second highest killer disease in Bangladesh. To that effect, CPHD in collaboration with the national TB control program and financial assistance from WHO conceptualized and designed a pilot project named Public Private Partnership Pilot Project initially for Dhaka city to involve private medical practitioners into TB control activities.

The following steps were undertaken:

Developed framework of collaboration with private medical practitioners; Mapping of chest and medical specialist in private practice; collection of baseline information on the TB management practice of the physicians and their TB case load; preparing a joint plan for collaboration between identified physician and the NTP; Implementation of an agreed plan of collaboration ensuring monitoring and recommending wider implantation of NTP collaboration with private physicians in Bangladesh.

A survey was made on 119 medical and chest specialists of whom 63 were selected for the project activities on the basis of the baseline information.

Till December 2004, 2229 TB patients were registered by the PPs in the project areas of which 578 (26%) were sputum positive, 90 (3%) re-treatment cases, 1307 (60%) sputum negative and 254 (11%) extra pulmonary TB patients. The male –female ratio was 60:40. On following –up the registered TB patients during the treatment period, 91% of the new smear positive cases were converted to sputum negative status at the end of 2/3 months of the treatment and treatment completion rate was 70%.

Recommendations made :

On going project:

 Implementation of PPM-DOTS in wards of Dhaka city involving all health providers of the area in collaboration with DOTS implementing NGOs under Dhaka City Corporation and NTP.

Works to be carried out under the project: 

Listing and survey on 160 health providers including 59 PPs were made and 105 of them including 45 PPs were oriented on TB.

Till June 2006, the PPs registered a total of 85 TB patients of which 31 (37%) were sputum positive, 53 (62%) sputum negative and 1 (1%) extra pulmonary TB patients. On following up the registered TB patients during the treatment period, 93% of the new smear positive cases were converted to sputum negative status at the end of 2/3 months of treatment. Treatment outcome result is yet to be received.

NGO Activities:

6 NGOs are working in the areas on tuberculosis. Reporting of suspects for diagnosis and their case registration has been increased by 2.6 and 2.3 times due to implementation of the project.

Awareness Program:

CPHD used to orient GPs, other health providers and different stake holders of the Community to create public awareness. During the orientation session, the above categories of participants were exposed to awareness and advocacy on TB/HIV co-infection. Under the project a total number of 45 GPs, 60 other health providers and 154 school/madrasa teachers, religious leaders and labour union representatives were oriented.