Inter Aide, Mumbai
Preventing the Economic Impact of Tuberculosis
The purpose of this project is to reduce the
economic impact of TB on the most underprivileged
communities in Mumbai
slums; Improving access to available TB health services; increase
attendance in primary public health centre; Reduce infection
risks.
With an annual prevalence of 3‰, TB
represents one of the first mortality cause in the overcrowded
Mumbai slums. It is also one of the first causes of disability and
unemployment. In this respect, health centres delivering efficient
treatments, actions aiming at recruiting a greater number of
TB-infected people and at minimizing the default rate (a common
feature in developing nations with TB treatments, due to the very
constraining nature of such treatments) can have a decisive impact
on the economic and social situation of the patients and of their
families.
This TB programme, started in 2008 and run in
cooperation with five local associations, is structured along 4
main components: 1) supporting local health centres (public and
associative) to care for the patients; 2) involving the general
practitioners in the slums to have them refer their patients to
health centres where they can receive free treatment; 3) setting up
DOTS centres (“Directly Observed Therapy Short-course”, the WHO
scheme against TB) within the slums; 4) sensitization &
prevention programmes to raise awareness on TB risks.
In 2009, the programme has already achieved
significant results: the DOTS centres have treated almost 3,000
patients, and 2,700 more have been referred by the GPs to the local
health centres participating in the programme. IA aims at
increasing further these figures over the coming years and at
extending its intervention area.
The Trafigura Foundation has pledge support to this project
until 2013