Community based TB treatment approach successful- WHO Expert

Kuntanase (Ash), Nov. 05, GNA - The Community -based Tuberculosis Care (CTBC) approach for the treatment of TB in the Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanawoma District has proved very successful with tremendous increase in cure rate.

The District, which was the first to introduce the CTBC during the third quarter of 2005 in the country has achieved a cure rate of 73.70 per cent and a defaulter rate of nine per cent. These figures come close to the targets set by for the national TB control programme of 85 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. The nine-defaulter rate even better than the 10 per cent national target. Dr.(Mrs) Agatha Akua Bonney, the District Director of Health Services made this known when the World Health Organisation Country Representative, Dr. Joaquin Saweka visited the area during a tour in the Ashanti Region.

Dr. Bonney said, the CTBC approach, which involves using community volunteers such as family members, chemical sellers, local opinion leaders and local teachers, had today been adopted by all the 138 Districts nationwide.

She explained that this new approach was not the conventional facility based, but one that compelled volunteers to move to the patients at their respective locations for both intensive and continuation phases of treatment and care.

The District, she said, could boast of 130-trained community based surveillance volunteers in all its 120 communities. Dr. Bonney said the District strategy concept was to form District care teams and put in place health personnel as first step of treatment. It would also identify and support interested community based agents such as the opinion leaders, chemical sellers among others. The training content for the volunteers, she said, depended on the WHO model which spell out what TB is, its symptoms, how the disease is spread, importance of its treatment compliance and the role and task of the treatment supporters.

At present a little over 500 million cedis has been injected into the CTBC.

Dr. Saweka congratulated the District for being the first to introduce the concept and lauded the level of enthusiasm coupled with the cooperation among the various agents in making CTBC a success in the area.

He said, "this approach is quite a revolutionary approach where we see health personnel and volunteers moving to the patients in their homes".

Dr. Saweka however, raised the issue of sustainability of the approach, which he said, must be a matter of concern to resolve so as to achieve better results, and encourage its replication at other Districts and places.

The WHO Repr esentative, accompanied by the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Kofi Asare and other District Health Directors visited several health posts in the Region as well as helped in the administering vaccines during the nationwide immunization exercise for children. 05 Nov. 06