Treating 3500 Poor Tuberculosis Patients in India

Summary

The Purpose of this project is to treat 3500 Tuberculosis patients annually in more than 2000 disadvantaged areas in India. The project will educate a population of 4.2 million about the prevention, treatment and control of TB.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

TB was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization in 1993. TB has historically been one of the world's biggest killers.13 million people suffer from TB worldwide, of which 3.5 million are in India. Two Indians die of the disease every three minutes. TB also carries terrible social stigma and 100,000 infected women are abandoned by their families every year, to die of disease and starvation. 300,000 infected children are forced to leave school (Government of India).

How will this project solve this problem?

The Purpose of this project is to treat 3500 tuberculosis patients annually in more than 2000 disadvantaged areas in India. The project will also educate a population of 4.2 million about the prevention, treatment and control of tuberculosis. After proper training, several members of the slum community will actually be offered paid positions at the centers; this is an especially valuable opportunity in such poverty stricken territories.

Potential Long Term Impact

Education about TB will be provided to 4.2 million disadvantaged persons in India Treatment will be provided to 3500 TB patients Stop the spread of infection to 42,000 persons Training and job opportunities will be offered to persons belonging to disadvantaged areas

Project Message

"Operation ASHA's DOTS centers serve as low-cost, efficient and accessible pipeline penetrating deep into the slums where government and other nonprofits have failed to reach"
- Shashi Buluswar, a management expert from McKinsey