more-in Despite a mandate, private sector is not notifying data about new cases of tuberculosis, reveals data obtained by a city-based NGO through RTI The NGO Helping Hand Foundation filed an RTI plea for information on new cases, number of patients registered for treatment and information about drug resistance from the State TB Centre, which revealed Telangana had 45,160 new cases of TB infections in 2016 as against 34,170 cases in 2015. The data provided also revealed that only 5,765 cases were notified by private sector, which the foundation contends does not cover all patients diagnosed in private sector. “Almost 70 to 80 % cases are treated in private sector. The mandatory notification compliance seems to be very poor and there is an urgent need to take more measures for compliance,” said Mujtaba Hasan Askari, the foundation’s president, while admitting that more cases were notified by private sector in 2016 compared to previous years. Infection endemic The State-wise divide shows Hyderabad and erstwhile Ranga Reddy districts accounted for more than a fourth of all new TB cases in 2016. Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis which can cause an active infection in any part of the body but most commonly in the lungs. Though mortality rates have reduced over the years, medical experts often point out as a gaping hole in implementation of India’s health policy. The bacterium is considered endemic in the country and many Indians is known to harbour it without an active infection. Drug resistance Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, a TB expert, has said in the past that the bacterium remains a major health concern, in the wake of drug resistance being witnessed due to non-compliance to treatment regimen and lack of adherence to treatment protocols among physicians. Multi-drug resistance tuberculosis (MDR) and extreme drug resistance tuberculosis often involve treatment durations of around two years. Mr. Askari said that many patients find it a burden to visit TB centres for such durations to continue treatment. Data not available The data obtained through RTI reveals the State TB Office does not have data for 213 patients diagnosed with MDR TB in 2016. Mr. Askari also pointed out that the data was obtained to make a push for the government to make the drug Bedaquiline, available to the masses. The drug was announced for rollout in India but its availability remains limited.

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