Thailand - Stop TB Partnership

take an active role in monitoring drug quality, and should consider making an application
to the Green Light Committee for internationally approved second-line drugs to better manage
MDR-TB.
Case recording and reporting
The NTP has a comprehensive, standardized system in place for recording and reporting
TB cases. In the context of staff shortages and the lack of regular refresher training courses,
however, considerable delays in filing reports are not uncommon. Very few private providers
comply with NTP recording and reporting guidelines.
There are three TB surveillance systems. First, the MoPH collects TB case information
as part of its standard communicable disease reporting system, which is sent to
the Bureau of Epidemiology. Second, disease surveillance and cohort reports are submitted
to the Bureau of AIDS, TB and STIs. 90 Third, cohort reports are collected quarterly, and
include case-finding reports for newly registered cases, a last trimester sputum conversion
rate report, and a treatment outcomes report.
All health facilities use standardized recording and reporting forms for both cohort
and surveillance reports, which include data on TB and TB/HIV. Provincial TB coordinators
(PTCs) are responsible for consolidating district-level reports into provincial reports and
submitting the information to the regional TB coordinators (RTCs), who in turn compile
regional and provincial figures for the central TB Cluster.
Although the surveillance and cohort reports provide useful information, recording
and reporting procedures are time-consuming for clinical staff. Due to staff shortages,
time constraints, and heavy workloads, clinical workers report that it is often difficult to
complete their recording and reporting responsibilities on time. 91 The delay in reporting is
up to one year in some areas. Due to the complexity of the forms, repeated training is also
necessary, as clinical staff forget how to fill out the forms by the time the next reporting
period comes around. 92
Since private facilities do not rely on government funding, their patients are not
required to disclose medical information to government authorities, and private providers
are reluctant to spend time filling in complicated forms. Some private hospitals sign on to
collaborate, but soon drop out because the reporting system is too cumbersome and timeconsuming.
93 Lack of participation from the private sector makes comprehensive national
record keeping and follow-up difficult.
Many health workers believe a computerized system is needed to facilitate case
recording and reporting, and to encourage reporting from the private sector. In 2004, the
government introduced a computerized data management system and training in select
provinces under the supervision of a team from the TB Cluster. According to the head of the
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TB POLICY IN THAILAND