Over 80 per cent of people with TB first knock on the doors of the private health sector where the standard of diagnosis and quality of TB care have always been contentious issues.
As per norms, a private doctor or hospital has to inform the government about each TB case but this hardly happens.
There is no institutionalised mechanism to help private players update their knowledge and skills about changing diagnostic algorithms, even the use of anti-TB drugs in appropriate doses for the correct duration.
Many patients do not follow the entire course of medicine and later develop drug resistant TB.
Way Forward
There is need to develop radical approaches to address the issue. Rather than the strategy of waiting for patients to walk in to get tested we need to engage in detecting more cases, both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant.
The emphasis should be on using highly sensitive diagnostic tests, undertaking universal testing for drug-resistant TB, reaching out to TB patients seeking care from private doctors and targeting people belonging to high-risk populations.
The other priority should be to provide anti-TB treatment — irrespective of where patients seek care from, public or private — and ensure that they complete the treatment.
Sending customisedSMSes to improve drug compliance, incentivising private doctors to notify cases and providing free medicines to patients approaching the private sector, facilitating nutritional support to TB patients, including financial support, rewarding States performing well in controlling TB, and using management information systems to monitor all aspects of TB control would help India to fight against this disease.
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
SANKALP & STRIVE Schemes To Boost Skill India Mission
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved two new World Bank supported schemes - Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) and Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE).
Key Highlights
SANKALP and STRIVE are outcome focused schemes marking shift in government's implementation strategy in vocational education and training from inputs to results.
Both the schemes are aimed at institutional reforms and improving quality & market relevance of skill development training programs in long and short term Vocational Education and Training (VET).
The schemes shall provide the required impetus to the National Skill Development Mission, 2015 and its various sub missions.
The schemes are aligned to flagship Government of India programs such as Make in India and SwachhtaAbhiyan and aim at developing globally competitive workforce for domestic and overseas requirements.
To this end, over 700 industry led institutions are being set up for providing job oriented skill training to lakhs of aspirants. An innovative challenge fund model has been employed to select and support proposals to set up such institutions in identified sectors and geographies.
66+ India International stalling institutions are being promoted to focus upon skill training as per global standards for overseas placements.
Upgrading 500 ITIs, as model ITIs across India and improving their industry connect, is also envisaged by ushering in reforms such as on-line examination, centralised admission, improving efficiency and transparency in the system.
