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Governance Knowledge CentrePromoted by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public GrievancesMinistry of Personnel, Transparency Public Grievances and Accountabilityand PensionsGovernment of IndiaCase StudyHealthTreating Tuberculosis: Operation AshaJune 2011Objective• Provide intensive education on TB to patients, families and spread awareness of thedisease through trained counsellors.• Ensure TB patients visit a counselling /treatment centre 60 times in 6 months to getmedication and control default rate• Monitor patients’ ts’ treatment via biometric attendance system so that they adhere to theregimen and take medicines under supervision on a regular basis.Working DesignOperation Asha’s TB treatment strategy as compared to convention DOTS treatment yieldsbetter results due to the following components:Education and TB awarenessThe counsellors carry out thorough education of patients and their families. They explain thatTuberculosis is a bacterial infection, fully curable, provided one gets the complete treatment.Once patients realise that missing doses can lead to Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis, whichis difficult and expensive to treat, they are much more motivated to adhere to the treatment.Counselling to patients, family members and communityThe counsellors are chosen from the community so that they can connect with the local peopleand TB patients would not be intimidated. There are 75 counsellors in total that perform therole of tracking patients and distribute medicines on a regular basis in 135 centres across thecountry.Two week training is provided to all counsellors in the head office on the disease and ways ofcounselling patients and observing patients in compliance with WHO recommended DOTSstrategy.They are stationed in the treatment centres 6 days a week to observe patients, distributemedicines and check default cases with the help of biometric attendance system. Those centresthat do not have biometric devices have to fill out a standard form designed by GOI with thefollowing details: Patient’s name, Phase of treatment (weeks/months) and Medicineprescription (number of dosage).4Researched and documented byOneWorld Foundation India