The Directly Observed Treatment Short-course {DOTS} services are being provided in India through Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme {RNTCP}.

This programme was first implemented in five pilot sites in Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra and West Bengal states of the country in October 1993. The year 1998 witnessed a rapid scaling-up of RNTCP and by 2000, more than 30% of the country was covered under one of the fastest expansions of a DOTS programme in the world. By the end of 2002, more than 50% is covered, a greater than 25-fold expansion over the past 3.5 years. According to RNTCP website (www.tbcindia.org) DOTS services are now available to 906 million Indians living in 521 districts of 29 states and union territories of the country.

World Health Organization (WHO) 2001 - 2005 campaign aims to detect and treat 70% estimated infectious tuberculosis patients and to achieve a cure rate of 85% amongst these patients.

The annualized new smear positive tuberculosis case detection rate of the country has now touched 75% and the cure rate (at the end of third quarter of 2004) was a healthy 85%. However the performance of the Programme in various states and union territories (UT) is inconsistent.

Two key factors that have influenced the success of tuberculosis control Programme in India are the high levels of poverty (and poor nutritional status)) in a number of states and the impact of AIDS pandemic.

In DOTS Watch-2005, we are presenting the performance of RNTCP in various states and UT (as it stood at the end of third quarter of 2004) and have attempted to collate this information with poverty levels and HIV prevalence in different sections of community especially amongst women attending Ante-natal Clinics (ANC) and amongst those attending STD clinics, Intravenous Drug Users (IDU), Commercial Sex Workers (CSW) and men having sex with men (MSM).

Explanatory note:

Poverty Line: It is Rupees. 327 (US $ 7.5) per month per capita for rural India and Rs.454 (US $ 10.33) per month, per capita for urban India, for the year 1999-2000.

Recommended further reading: Poverty in India by Jaya Mehta, http://www.tammilehto.info/cuments/povindia.htm

Sources:

A. The information and statistics included in this section has been obtained from:

Publications of Planning Commission of India, New Delhi
National AIDS Control Organisation website, www.nacoonline.org
Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme, Third Quarter 2004, Performance Report, available at their web site: www.tbcindia.org

B. Directly Observed Treatment, Short course

http://w3.whosea.org/en/Section10/Section18/Section356/Section421_1627.htm