A model that provides all TB services under one roof Premium

To strengthen services at primary health facilities, Tamil Nadu has adopted the ‘Walk-in Centre - One Stop TB Solution’ in which a primary facility is designated as a walk-in TB centre in each block. Over 100 walk-in centres have been rolled out.

India has a stated goal of eliminating tuberculosis by 2025. Accelerated efforts will be required to meet this target. Tamil Nadu has taken a step towards achieving this goal by improving and focusing on services at the primary healthcare level. The State has rolled out walk-in TB centres as a one-stop solution. All services starting with screening to monetary assistance and provision of nutritional supplements will be provided under one roof.

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In an article - ‘Walk In Centre - One Stop TB Solution - A Model Game Changer in Tuberculosis Control’ - published in the State’s public health journal, officials of the directorates of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and of Medical and Rural Health Services have outlined the need for strengthening of TB-related services at primary health care facilities and how such walk-in TB centres could improve TB diagnosis, care and support.

According to the Tamil Nadu TB prevalence survey 2019-2022, the prevalence of TB in the State was 210 per lakh population. In 2022, the State had a case notification rate of 126 cases per lakh people. The aim is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal related to TB by 2025, that is 90% reduction in TB deaths and 80% reduction in TB incidence rate by 2030 compared to the levels in 2015. Early diagnosis and treatment will play a crucial role in achieving this.

The authors - Anandan Mohan, Sudhakar Thangarasu, Palani Sampath, T.S. Selvavinayagam and Asha Frederick - observed that decentralisation of laboratory services was deemed required for patients to receive testing at neighbouring medical facilities. However in fact most testing takes place in secondary and tertiary health facilities.

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To strengthen services at primary health facilities, the State went on to adopt an idea - “Walk-in Centre - One Stop TB Solution” in which a single primary facility is designated as a walk-in TB centre in each block. Over 100 walk-in centres have been rolled out. The aim is to expand to all 424 upgraded Primary Health Centres (PHC).