Patna, June 13: Public awareness is crucial in curbing the menace of tuberculosis (TB) and the gap between TB control programmes and its implementation needs to be bridged.

Delegates at the two-day skill training programme, organised by non-government organisation (NGO) Bihar Voluntary Health Association, for volunteers from its different NGO partners, put forward this view. These volunteers will work with TB patients in nine districts of the state — Vaishali, Jehanabad, Darbhanga, Munger, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai, Purnea, Katihar and Kishanganj. They will spread awareness about the different health schemes and free treatment at their disposal.

At least 40 volunteers took part in the training session on the first day.

Swapan Mazumdar, the executive director of Bihar Voluntary Health Association, said: “Our motive is to sensitise the key stakeholders and community service providers on the disease. In this two-day training programme, volunteers from our different NGO partners would be familiarised with the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) and its various aspects, so that they can bridge the gap between the schemes and the beneficiaries for the successful implementation of the programme.”

Mazumdar added: “Bihar Voluntary Health Association works for the prevention and cure of various diseases and from our experience so far, we have understood that public awareness plays a crucial role in curbing TB. Though there are many central programmes for the prevention of TB, the disease has still not lost ground in the remote areas. We have decided to train members of various organisations so that they can help in not only identifying the patients, but also help them utilise the resources provided under the various schemes. The volunteers will also be trained on how to keep tabs on the programmes running in their area. Our endeavour is to put up discrepancies in the implementation of the programmes, if any, to the state government.”

The volunteers at the training programme will be familiarised with RNTCP that is being run under Axshaya Project of the central government. They will also learn how to coordinate with the treatment centres.

Dr Sandeep Mishra, a member of Voluntary Health Association of India, New Delhi, said: “There are many hurdles in the successful implementation of RNTCP. Most TB patients come from poor families and don’t have the means for further treatment. Sometimes, their treatment is also stopped mid-way, as patients can’t afford to pay. This training will let volunteers find such cases and reach the resources to the patients and make them aware of the treatment centres.”