Government takes obligatory action for collecting data of all tuberculosis patients to ensure proper tuberculosis diagnosis and its management in patients and their contacts and to reduce tuberculosis transmission and further to address the problems of emergence and spread of Drug Resistant-Tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis is a dangerous epidemic disease, threat to life and is a major public health problem accounting for substantial morbidity and mortality in the country. Early diagnosis and complete treatment of tuberculosis is the corner-stone of tuberculosis prevention and control strategy. Further, inappropriate diagnosis and irregular or incomplete treatment with anti-tubercular drugs may contribute to complications, disease spread and emergence of drug resistant tuberculosis.
As per government, the healthcare providers shall notify every tuberculosis patient to local Public Health Authority, namely, District Health Officer or Chief Medical Officer of a District and Municipal Health Officer of urban local bodies in whatever way they are known; or their designated District Tuberculosis Officers.
Government informed that all Pharmacy, Chemist and Druggist dispensing anti-tubercular medicines, shall notify respective tuberculosis patients along with details of medicines as per Schedule H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945; and shall furnish the same either electronically or in hard copy, to the Nodal Officer of the District or any Officer authorised by Nodal Officer.
Also they asked tuberculosis patients to self-notify themselves with their own details and that of treating medical practitioners.
Secured web portal like nikshay.gov.in shall be made available by the Central Tuberculosis Division to all practitioners, clinical establishments, pharmacies, chemists, druggists and patients for online submission of information.
Even, tuberculosis patients notified from Pharmacies, Chemists and Druggists and those patients self-notified, shall be contacted and verified by Public Health Authority or their authorized representative.
Central government clearly expressed that the Clinical Establishment, Pharmacy, Chemist and Druggist, failing to notify a tuberculosis patient to the nodal officer may attract the provisions of sections 269 and 270 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
