An endeavor against Tuberculosis through the rough terrain of Sundarban
Sundarban, the world’s largest estuarine forest lies 100 Km South to the Eastern Indian city of Kolkata, is the land of wild lives specially the famous Royal Bengal Tiger. The region situated in the lower end of the Gangetic West Bengal, is this world’s largest delta covered by mangrove forest and vast saline mud flats. A land of 54 tiny islands crisscrossed by innumerable tributaries of Ganges is the abode of varied flora & fauna population. An area of 9630 sq. km of which 70 percent is under saline water, makes the life of human inhabitants very difficult. The poor economic infrastructure causes many health disorders to the people living in the region. Unaware and poverty stricken inhabitants become the soft target of the deadly disease Tuberculosis and the region was announced a high-burdened province by the District Tuberculosis Control Society. Southern Health Improvement Samity (SHIS) a Non Government Organisation has brought a new ray of hope in fighting against Tuberculosis in Sundarban region in India.
A brief passage of the story for the readers
"Working even in this tough terrain of geographical and economical content, has proved that SHIS’s laborious and effortful endeavor in the field of Tuberculosis Control Program in the State can easily be followed as model project"
What can one learn from this experience in reference to the practices, the meanings, the knowledge gained?
SHIS was initially formed in 1979 to fight against Tuberculosis among Bidi (Indian Cigar) rollers in the rough and tough terrain of Sundarban where poverty and inaccessibility stop every development for the local inhabitants. The poor economical infrastructure leaves no scope of job for the nearly 2.5 million (according to 2001 Census) human populations in the area that mostly depends on fishing. A very small part of them depend on agriculture, having no basic reach to health, electricity, pure water and transportation besides their daily struggle for survival. From 1987 to 2000 the NGO worked under National Tuberculosis Program with a very positive treatment outcome.In 1997 considering the accessible mood of communication, SHIS started an alternative way to provide health service to the people living in to the interior villages of Sundarban. The service was basically initiated to find out Tuberculosis patients and to provide treatment to them. SHIS build up a motorized boat with pathological clinic, doctor and x-ray machine that travels through the creeks, canals and rivers of the region, providing
treatment for Tuberculosis and also general patients of the 753 villages in 32 islands of the region. Starting with one, SHIS now plies three such boats in the area. SHIS has built 503 DOTs clinics with 32 Microscopy Centres visited by the traveling Doctors with the Boat health clinic, and the 7 Tuberculosis Units that constantly fight against the disease. The organization also developed a network of volunteers, which helps to reach the patients and also provide DOTs. At present 1416 volunteers work under this Tuberculosis project and each of them get an honorarium of Rs.175 a month. When a patient is detected with Tuberculosis symptom, the home visitor goes to the family for counseling and after the medical tests and check ups they select the nearby DOTs provider or patient leader who provides the medicine to the patient.
Considering the overall report of West Bengal whose success rate is just over 85% (1st Qtr 2004) SHIS’s success rate of 96% achieved working even in this tough terrain of geographical and economical content, has proved that SHIS’s laborious and effortful endeavor in the field of Tuberculosis Control Program in the State can easily be followed as model project.
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The work has been produced under the TB MEDIA fellowship by PANOS in 2005
India