Srinagar, June 16: William John Clinton Foundation (WJCF) on Thursday held an event to assess the progress made in implementing ‘Differentiated TB Care’ intervention. The event brought together stakeholders to share updates, exchange feedback, and suggest improvements in the program. The program was attended by the State Tuberculosis Officer (STO) Dr. Adfar Yasein, HoD SPM, GMC Srinagar, Dr. Saleem Parvaiz, Dr. Rouf, And Dr. Inam, DTO Srinagar, Dr. Tehjeena Jameel, besides Zonal Medical officers of Batmaloo and SR Gunj and Risk Assessment Facilitators of Srinagar district.
The event was organised to review the functioning of the NGO’s patient-centered tuberculosis care intervention program being run in the Srinagar district. At the event, Dr. Adfar said that the session is more focused on the training component where assessors are being equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively conduct baseline assessments of TB patients.
‘We are mulling to train District TB officers and other field functionaries to start differentiated TB care in their respective districts. We are also focusing on incorporating Extra Pulmonary TB EPTB components in the program,’ he said.
While explaining the details of the project, DTO Srinagar, Dr. Tehjeena Jameel said that the project is primarily focusing on reducing the mortality rate at the initial stage of TB patients.
‘The project has also set a parameter for patients to examine their risk score and establish linkages to appropriate facilities for care. After a proper assessment the patient is then referred to their nearest health center for tertiary care,’ she added.
To reduce the risk of complications, patients with other underlying diseases like malnutrition, anemia, respiratory diseases, and any other immunodeficiency disorders require special attention and comprehensive care—they are being provided with special nutritional kits specially designed for TB patients.
‘Continuous monitoring and evaluation is being done to ensure ongoing success and identify areas that require further attention so that no patients remain left out,’ she explained.
The pilot project is currently being run in Srinagar only—out of 135 patients eligible for baseline survey, the NGO has done a survey for 128 patients which amounts to 93 percent.
