Control of tuberculosis in an urban setting in Nepal: public鈥損rivate partnership
Abstract
Objectives To implement and evaluate a public鈥損rivate partnership to deliver the internationally recommended strategy DOTS for the control of tuberculosis (TB) in Lalitpur municipality, Nepal, where it is estimated that 50% of patients with TB are managed in the private sector.
Methods A local working group developed a public鈥損rivate partnership for control of TB, which included diagnosis by private practitioners, direct observation of treatment and tracing of patients who missed appointments by nongovernmental organizations, and provision of training and drugs by the Nepal National TB Programme (NTP). The public鈥損rivate partnership was evaluated through baseline and follow-up surveys of private practitioners, private pharmacies, and private laboratories, together with records kept by the Nepal NTP.
Findings: In the first 36 months, 1328 patients with TB were registered in the public鈥損rivate partnership. Treatment success rates were >90%, and
Citation
Newell, J.N.; Pande, S.B.; Baral, S.C.; Bam, D.S.; Malla, P. Control of tuberculosis in an urban setting in Nepal:public鈥損rivate partnership. Bulletin of the World Health Organization (2004) 82 (28) 92-98.