“Give me an effective medicine or kill me …. Amar ar vallagena!”
Lying in her non – paying sick bed in the National Institute of Diseases of Chest and Hospital, Aisha lost all her interest in life. The 25 years old MDR patient Aisha was ill for the last two years and has been detected as tuberculosis case a year ago. Due to unavailability of money and consciousness, she did not continue the treatment. During all this time she never knew that the treatment is free.
After affected by TB, her husband left her. Now Aisha has hearing problem due to side effect of MDR medicine. She came to the tuberculosis hospital and got admitted on the 13th January 2004 after she falls seriously ill. Now her weight is 29 kg. Only her mother visits Aisha in the hospital very rarely. Her 10 years old girl is still continuing primary education with financial support from her grand parents.
The nurses were amazed by the fact that I being an outsider have spent more than 5 hours in the MDR unit where most of the doctors and the nurses don’t even spent much time. Being a photojournalist, my observation reflects that most of the TB patients are isolated from the society, the family and even from the health care facilities. Abandoned by their husbands, the female TB patients once again look to their own parents for some support and comfort. These issues develop serious psychological disadvantages among the patients and as a result try not to disclose the fact that one is affected by TB.
Like Aisha, most of the TB Patient in Bangladesh is not aware of TB and its treatment. Although a lot of awareness programs in Bangladesh are in place but the effectiveness of these programs are in serious question. These community outreach programs needs not only to develop awareness among TB patients but also to assist our community in accepting the TB patients and provide them proper treatment along with a sincere psychological support.
The general response to TB prevention and control in Bangladesh is not so well.
Unawareness and lack of knowledge about TB related issues persist to a larger extent in Bangladesh. The presence of the DOTS Center, hospitals and free treatment still cannot help the issue. Mismanagement in the government sector and large gaps in proper counseling to TB patient and suspected target group are some of the fact that needs restructuring.
Bangladesh ranks 5th on the list of 22 highest burden TB countries in the world where approximately 300,000 people fall ill to Tuberculosis and 70,0000 die every year, 99 per 100,000 pop. (incidence) new smear-positive per year, 221 per 100,000 pop. (incidence) new TB cases (all forms) per year. It is learnt that 54 per cent of the affected people do not get any treatment at all.
Several technical partners participate in TB control activities in Bangladesh, led by BRAC and The DFB. The CCM has made a successful application for funding from the GFATM. Financial support is also provided by the World Bank and other partners through general funding for the health sector.
TV spot, poster, sticker, brochure is the main method of media coverage on issues of TB prevention and control in Bangladesh. But it is in a very low level. And the print media rarely covers the issue. Some times seminar and symposium attended by leaders of the country, teachers and health and other professionals were arranged without any participation form TB patients. NTP at this moment is trying to gear up the media coverage. Ideas of making promotional films, folk songs, and community dramas with an objective to increase massive awareness to the “target groups” are in place.
Assumptions can be made from the NTP and the WHO statistics that the “Real” situation of TB treatment, prevention and control programmes is now going in a remarkable flow. But massive awareness buildup, socio-economic restructuring and monitoring activities among the target groups should also be taken into account in order for these activities to be fruitful.
AKM Shehab Uddin
Photojournalist
Drik Picture Library
Dhaka, Bangladesh
E-Mail: shehab@drik.net
www.drik.net |
