Racial Discriminations (and politics) Eclipses On TB Program.

News clip appeared in the daily “The Times Of India” (15th Nov 2007), the heading of the article is shows like some state level cricket match is played between TWO starts Punjab & Bihar. Where Punjab eclipses Bihar’

Medical professionals discriminate in their treatment practices on the basis of race and gender is not new to the society

Here is a classis case of racial / ethnic discrimination in public health program.

There may be many other starts in India where more cases of Tb are reported yet the district TB officer (DTO, a representative of Punjab (health) government) has compared statistics with Bihar state as from Bihar largest number of migrant works comes to the Punjab state. Further as he put his personal opinion for accounting rise on TB in Punjab, which have “NO scientific Study or data”
The other government official in his press statement put Tb infected “migrants laborers” responsible for infecting local rural population.

The news article is adequate to send the massages to local population of Punjab, that Tb is brought to you by migrant population ( specifically form Bihar) to your rural as well as in urban area.

One should wonder, why this migrant community is ‘target’…THIS time?

As this is the month of “Chhath puja” & large number of migrants has gone back to Bihar (and other states like Utter Pradesh, Utteranchal and Jharkhand ) which is the Biggest festival for this community and all time low is the migrant population, which is favorable time to make a propaganda against the migrant population (which is considered as cause of bring unemployment to the local peoples)

This article seems to be a part of political propaganda where TB is “centered” to achieve a goal of stopping migration.

If heath & human rights interest you, do fallow a link to
Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers
http://www.who.int/hhr/Migrants.pdf

Public-Private Partnership- a "health Bankruptcy"

From published data & information (Source Pearson M, Impact & Expenditure Review, part II Policy issues, DFID,2002) tabled by working group on Public-Private Partnership for the eleventh five year Plan(2007-2012) , to Planning Commission. One can make an assessment on “where large number of patients undergoing for seeking treatment in India, Pubic or Private sector? The figures provided at official website http://www.tbcindia.org/ on National TB program (RNTCP) are based on ‘fraction of population’ accessing to public health system. These figures should not be misunderstood with ‘actual’ figures. Actual figures will only come up, when the reporting patron includes large number of population undergoing private health sector. In the absent of Diseases Reporting Legislation for private operator in India, figures such as, total number of registered patient, % of smear +ve Tb cases, new smear +ve, case detection rate; don’t give the true picture of the epidemic /pandemic Program performance indicators such new smear +ve pulmonary TB (NSP) case detection rate, treatment success rate, deaths due to TB are sensitive figures, should be published based on ‘total population of the country”. Where the quotes (by government) are calculated based on “controlled population’ / fraction of population.


Present method of RNTCP will bring ‘health Bankruptcy “ for country.

What are the learning & ‘safe guards” to us

The resent news on, Ugandan 'Aids scam' trial begins,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6900600.stm

for Health Minister Jim Muhwezi, accused of embezzling nearly $4.3m (£2.15m), is ‘alarm’ for us to see, how aid/ funds are spend at amritsar.

Annual Plan & Budget.

The annual budget for Amritsar (Punjab) district in a India is INR 5962379 (about US$141961). Soon I will publish details of budget spending, if you are looking for any specific details do let me know, will try to put along with my next update.