business co

 

HOME | DISTRICT GOVERNOR' MESSAGE | GOVERNOR'S BIO DATA | GOVERNOR ELECT | GOVERNOR NOMINEE

DISTRICT OFFICIALS | PAST DISTRICT GOVERNORS | MAJOR DONORS | MAJOR PROJECTS | SITE MAP

 

 

 

TB Care

 

Rotary is a service-oriented organisation committed to serve under various heads, of which Community Service is of utmost importance.  Under this several Service Programmes towards the welfare of the community are planned and executed by the Rotary Clubs continuously.  The major avenue of service to community is Health Care. 

 

 

 Rotary, as we all know, has played a definite and distinct role in the effort of the Government in the eradication of Poliomyelitis, a scourge that has been haunting our country rending many little ones lame and limping.  In fact it is widely and openly acknowledged that but for the unstinting participation of Rotary eradication of Poliomyelitis would not have been achieved. 

 

Tuberculosis, called TB in short, is a deep-rooted communicable disease thus posing a Community Health problem in developing countries.  It is a painful fact that India has been identified by the WHO as harping the highest – over 30% of the TB cases all over the world.   Another estimate states that 2 persons die of TB every 3 minutes.  Prevalence of HIV infection has accentuated high incidence and consequent upward trend in the prevalence of TB.  In fact over 60% of deaths among AIDS cases are due to TB. 

 

Government of India is running a Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) was implemented in 1998, in which Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) was adopted.  Under RNTCP case finding is passive, i.e. cases are detected only from among those who report to the medical facility with severe symptoms.  Further the essentially used tool for case detection is Sputum smear examination for Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB), the micro-organism that causes TB. 

 

 

 Rtn. Dr. Hisamuddin Papa, a Pulmonologist, with his vast knowledge and experience in the field of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases gained over three decades and thinking in line with his teachers, Prof. K. V. Krishnaswami and Prof. K. Jagannath, stalwarts in the Speciality of Chest Medicine, realised that besides tightening the treatment procedure by DOTS administration, a real control of TB could be achieved only by active case finding procedure of exploring the community and detecting the early cases and treating and curing them before they spread the infection.  The only tool for detecting the early TB cases is X-ray Chest.   

 

 He, with the help and support of Rtn. S. Vimal Kumar floated HUMA Shasun TB Care Project under the auspices of their home Club - Rotary Club of Madras Southwest.  The Project was implemented in the  Rotary  Centenary  year  2004 – 2005, when Rtn.Dr.Hisamuddin Papa was the President of the Club, which was having its Silver Jubilee synchronising with Rotary Centenary.  Under this Project Dr. Hisamuddin Papa conceptualized and designed a Mobile Computerised Radiography Unit by installing a Kodak CR-500 in a Maruti Versa vehicle, after very meticulous technical modifications in the vehicle.  The overall cost of the Mobile CR Unit was around Rs.45 Lakhs then.  This Unit could cover groups, especially those of high risk for TB by conducting Lung Screening Camps.   It was the first ever time when a CR Unit was made mobile for Mass Screening; and perhaps, it is still the only such unit in India. 

 

This Project was heartily encouraged by Rtn. Benjamin Cherian, District Governor R.I. Dist. 3230 and it has been receiving the appreciation of the District Governors of the later years.  Quite a number of Rotary Clubs of R.I. District 3230 sponsored Lung Screening Camps, as Rotary’s participation in the control of TB, after its successful accomplishment in eradicating Poliomyelitis.  Many NGOs and Private organisations have also been sponsoring LS Camps availing the services of our Mobile CR Unit.  The hierarchy of Kodak, USA visited one of the camps and evinced excitement at their highly sensitive CR Unit could be made mobile and on the spot they donated US $ 2500 for the Project. 

 

In this Rotary year 2009-2010, R.I. District 3230, under the Governorship of Rtn. W. Anand, has adopted TB Care as a District Community Service Project under the Counselorship of PDG B. Viswanatha Reddi and Chairmanship of Rtn. Dr. Hisamuddin Papa.  The following Rotarians have been opted in as Associate Chairmen of this Project 

1. Rtn. PL. Muthiah of Rotary Club of Madras Chennapatna
2. Rtn. N. M. Abdul Jabbar of Rotary Club of Vaniyambadi Mid Town
3. Rtn. Ambrose of Rotary Club of Mooncity Thiruvannamalai
4. Rtn. P.M.S. Bahadur Shah of Rotary Club of Ranipet
5. Rtn. A.G.D. Durairaj of Rotary Club of Chengalpattu
6. Rtn. Dr. J.V. Krishnamurthy of Rotary Club of Chennai Gemini
7. Rtn. V. Senthil Kumar of Rotary Club of Madras Industrial City
8. Rtn. D. Panneerselvam of Rotary Club of Chennai Phoenix
   

 

A meeting of all the office bearers was organised by the Chairman at his HUMA Specialists Hospital and Research Centre Pvt. Ltd. on 22nd July 2009 when it was planned to hold two seminars – one covering the Clubs of Vellore and Thiruvannamalai and another covering the Clubs of Chennai, Thiruvallore and Kancheepuram.  Also it was resolved that every Club of R.I. 3230 would organise at least 2 Lung Screening Camps during the Current Rotary year. 

 

 The details of coverage and outcomes of the Lung Screening Camps organised by Rotary Clubs and other Private Organisations and NGOs from 1st July 2009 are given below: 

 

 

 

 

These apart, under the Research Project assigned to HUMA Shasun TB Care Project, the whole lot of 882 inmates of Central Prison, Vellore were screened out of whom 28 were identified as abnormals.

 

 Referral sheets for all the abnormals were issued to the Sponsors with advice to reach them to the nearest Government medical institution for detailed evaluation and management with appropriate treatment

 

Many more LS camps are booked for and will be carried out in due course

 

Rtn. Dr. Hisamuddin Papa addressed the Rotary Club of Madras Silver Beach on 18th July 2009 on Tuberculosis and control measures.  Hon. Rtn. R. Parthasarathy, Project Officer of HUMA Shasun TB Care Project addressed the Rotary Club of Vellore North on Tuberculosis and the Project on 1st September 2009.

 

 The proposed seminars would be held very shortly and service progress of this project would be at a faster pace in the days to come.  Ultimately by the end of the year the statistics of coverage under LS camps and abnormals detected and referred to Government medical institutions for free treatment would give a solace as to the nobility and utility of the community service provided.

 

 Also this might constitute a model for accelerating case finding and consequently reducing inflow of new cases under the RNTCP to provoke a thought as to including this active case finding approach as an integral operational component of RNTCP in the days to come as a measure on firm foot to eradicate TB as early as possible, just as Poliomyelitis has been eradicated with the involvement of Rotary’s efforts. 

 

-

TB Project Chair: Rtn. Dr. Hisamuddin Papa

 

 

 

 

SITE MAP | DISCLAIMER | CONTACT US