{"id":319,"date":"2017-09-26T14:09:31","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T14:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/2020\/12\/23\/making-programmes-customer-centric\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:48:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T08:18:55","slug":"making-programmes-customer-centric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/making-programmes-customer-centric\/","title":{"rendered":"Making programmes customer-centric"},"content":{"rendered":"

India reports 2.8 million cases of Tuberculosis (TB) every year<\/a> and has the highest number of multi-drug resistant cases. It isn’t surprising that the focus of our overburdened public healthcare system has been on detecting cases and ensuring that patients complete treatment. However, the human aspect of the disease often gets overlooked.<\/p>

We spoke to survivors who are critical but neglected stakeholders in TB programmes. They understand what would make patient experiences less traumatic, what can be improved from diagnosis to rehabilitation and how programmes can be made more patient-centric.<\/p>

India seeks to eliminate TB by 2025<\/a>. Apart from implementing new programs and strategies, it is critical that these voices of patients and survivors are heard, amplified and inducted into initiatives that aim to fight this deadly disease.<\/p>

\"What<\/a><\/div>

The survivors<\/h3>

Ramesh Kumar* <\/strong>is a resident of Bambaiya Harlal, a hamlet in Samastipur, Bihar. He was detected with TB in 2014 and first paid for treatment with a private provider. He was then assisted by a non-profit organization and put on the free Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS)<\/a> provided by the National TB Program. Post treatment, Ramesh found out that a woman in his neighbourhood was suffering from TB. He knew from his own experience that she would need nutrition– so despite his limited means, he provided her with milk daily.<\/p>

Anita Ram* <\/strong>was a 26-year old working in Jaipur (March 2013) when she came down with a cold, cough and occasional shooting pains in her back. As her symptoms worsened, she consulted a local doctor. Her x-ray showed fluid accumulation in the chest cavity. The local doctor prescribed her medication for a six-month period but did not inform her of the exact diagnosis. Anita turned to a lung specialist in Mumbai who finally diagnosed her with TB. She returned home for treatment, went through surgery and then quit work to rest and regain her health. She took up her doctor’s recommendation to increase protein intake and pored over the internet for advice on nutrition.<\/p>

Radhika Khanna* <\/strong>lives in Delhi and had just started her working career when she realised that her lymph nodes were swollen. She went to a doctor who prescribed antibiotics for three months. The doctor did not single out the disease she was fighting. As her liver began to enlarge in reaction to the medicines, she started consulting other doctors. After consulting five doctors, on the last one’s advice a biopsy was conducted. Only then was she diagnosed and given the right medication.<\/p>

\"customer-centric\"<\/h3>

Learnings from the survivors<\/h3>

1. Access to accurate and timely information<\/strong>
\nRadhika: “I did not know where to seek answers. I could only Google.”<\/em><\/p>

Patients and their families are often in an information vacuum or vulnerable to misinformation when diagnosed with TB.  Awareness campaigns focus primarily on symptoms but there is an equal need to build awareness around other aspects, such as:<\/p>

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