The emergence of resistance to first-line drugs used to treat tuberculosis (TB) has become a significant public health concern and an obstacle in implementation of effective TB control activities globally. In India, Revised National TB Control Program (RNTCP) introduced the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB (PMDT) services to address the needs of MDR-TB patients. To execute the plan with perfection, RNTCP has devised MDR suspect criteria – A, B, and C so that gradually PMDT services can be extended to the whole country. These criteria were framed to run in tandem with the strengthening of the laboratory services so that the existing certified laboratories can carry out the culture and DST services without being overburdened. Altogether, RNTCP is committed for the strengthening and capacity building of its resources to offer culture and DST services right at the time of diagnosis.
Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a major global health problem, causing an estimated 8.8 million new cases and 1.1 million deaths during 2010. The role of private sector in countering this global problem cannot be underestimated. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study of two months duration (February – March 2013) was conducted among all the clinical teaching faculty of various departments of a private Medical College in Kancheepuram district. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was designed after thoroughly studying the Revised National TB Control Program (RNTCP) training modules (Modules 1-4). All the study participants were administered the questionnaire after obtaining their informed consent. Data entry and statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 17. Results: Out of the 51 study participants only 4(7.8%) were trained in RNTCP. Almost 28(54.9%) participants wrongly responded that three sputum examinations are recommended for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Approximately, half 25(49%) of the clinicians could not correctly ascertain the duration of treatment of TB . Conclusions: As the private sector plays a significant role in diagnosis of a major proportion of TB cases, the RNTCP cannot afford to disregard this sector. The study findings demonstrate wide gaps in knowledge about RNTCP guidelines among clinical faculties. The findings of the study should be an eye-opener for the health policy makers and program managers. Need of the hour is to train all private sector doctors in RNTCP and motivate them to comply with RNTCP guidelines.
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