INF wins TB award

INF is one of two winners of this year's Kochon Prize. This annual prize is awarded by a special selection committee on behalf of the Stop TB Partnership and the United Nations World Health Organisation [WHO]. INF Nepal Executive Director Dr Deependra Gautam received the award on behalf of INF at the opening ceremony of the 42nd International Union Against TB and Lung Disease conference in Lille, France yesterday. 'I want to thank all the people in INF who have been involved in TB work - this prize is the result of their labour,' says Deependra.

The US$65,000 award supports the global fight against TB and is awarded to persons, institutions or organisations that have made a highly significant contribution to combating TB. The prize is funded by the Kochon Foundation, a non-profit foundation registered in South Korea. Candidates are nominated by recognised national health bodies of WHO member states, Stop TB partners or former recipients of the prize.

Nominees may include persons, institutions and organisations that have made significant and documented achievements in the formulation and implementation of systems or policies for anti-TB programmes, or in the areas of TB research, advocacy and communication, education or training.

INF has a long history of achievement in TB work over more than 50 years. INF opened a specialist TB clinic in Pokhara, Kaski District in 1976, and in 1986 opened a TB clinic in Surkhet District which acted as the main referral centre for the entire Mid Western Region of the country, with field work also beginning from Surkhet. In the 1990s INF opened a TB clinic in the remote, mountainous Jumla District [1992], a TB clinic in Nepalgunj, Banke District [1996] and a new purpose-built TB clinic in Surkhet [1998].

Today Nepalgunj is the location of INF's main TB referral centre, a 'Directly Observed Treatment Short course' [DOTS] centre with 29 staff. In the year to 16 July 2011, 33,841 clients attended the centre's outpatients department suspecting they had TB, and 546 were admitted to the centre's 26-bed ward as they had serious TB complications. The centre is the only facility in Nepal where TB patients are admitted, and the only 'DOTS Plus' centre in Nepal's Mid Western Region, providing treatment for multi-drug-resistant [MDR] TB and supervising activities in four DOTS Plus sub-centres in the region.

The cure rate for 'first-line' TB is 87%, compared to the national average of 85%. The cure rate for MDR TB is 81%, compared to the national average of 50%-70%. The centre is the only facility in the country which runs a hostel providing food and shelter for MDR TB patients, managed in partnership with a local church-based organisation.

The centre provides 24-hour medical and nursing care for patients with complications such as MDR TB, extensive lung involvement, TB meningitis, spinal TB, HIV co-infection, and drug reactions.

As well as providing care for patients, the centre also provides training in TB for other health facilities, government health staff, partner NGO staff and other qualified personnel, so improving the quality of TB work throughout the region.

The centre operates a fund which provides financial assistance for needy patients. After socio-economic assessment of patients and their families, assistance is given with provision of medicine, tests and help with transport costs. Food and accommodation are free for all patients admitted.

The centre provides counselling, health advice and assessment for socio-economic rehabilitation of TB patients, and makes referrals to INF's Community Based Rehabilitation section.

INF carries out TB work in other locations too: for example, in Jumla District INF provides testing, in- and outpatient treatment, physiotherapy and community based rehabilitation for TB clients, and provides training and support for government health staff in TB case finding, testing and patient tracing; in Ghorahi, Dang District INF provides transit treatment for TB; and in Surkhet District, INF conducts social research on the situation of TB patients.

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