Facing “difficulties” in TB prevention and control work

(QBĐT) – Vietnam is currently the country with the 11th highest burden of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among the 30 countries with the highest number of infected people and the highest burden of tuberculosis globally. Quang Binh is a province with a high average TB epidemic situation compared to the whole country and a high level in the Central region. To contribute to achieving the goal of ending tuberculosis by 2035, Quang Binh still has many difficulties and challenges… Therefore, along with the health sector, it is necessary to have strong participation from both the political system and the community. community of people in the province.

About 40% of people with TB in the community have not been detected

According to statistics from the Health sector, in 2021, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the whole province detected and admitted 638 tuberculosis patients of all types, reaching 85% of the plan, a decrease of 23.96% compared to the previous year. same period. In 2022, 807 tuberculosis patients of all types will be detected and treated, equivalent to 89.46 cases/100,000 people. In 2023, 940 tuberculosis patients of all types will be detected and treated, equivalent to 102 cases/100,000 people, while the epidemic is about 172 cases/100,000 people; It is estimated that the whole province has only detected about 60% of tuberculosis patients in the community, which is a risk and affects the goal of ending tuberculosis.

In recent years, with the efforts of the Health sector and the Provincial Center for Disease Control (CDC), it has been the focal point for implementing activities of the National Tuberculosis Program in Quang Binh, examination and treatment activities. Tuberculosis is actively taken. In particular, focusing on examination, detection, management and treatment of patients with tuberculosis, drug-resistant tuberculosis, child tuberculosis, HIV tuberculosis, tuberculosis in prisons and social protection facilities…

At the same time, implementing activities of the National Quality Program, such as: Actively detecting tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis for high-risk subjects in the community, tuberculosis in border communes, mountainous and remote areas . In 2023 alone, the provincial CDC has screened and taken lung X-rays for about 18,000 people in areas in the province and detected many new tuberculosis patients in the community. In particular, Quang Binh is a province with a high rate of successful treatment for tuberculosis patients: In 2021, reaching 92%; in 2022, reaching 93% and in 2023, reaching 92%.

Difficulties in TB prevention and control work

Provincial CDC Director Do Quoc Tiep said: Quang Binh is one of 12 provinces in the country that does not have a tuberculosis-pulmonary disease hospital and has a high burden of tuberculosis in the central region with a number of newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients. Currently, there are about 100 cases/100,000 people every year.

Although the rate of TB has decreased compared to the previous period, it is still high, in which multi-resistant TB is still a huge danger, with complicated developments with high rates of treatment abandonment and death, and high costs. Great treatment. In addition, lung diseases other than tuberculosis, especially asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, pneumonia, Covid-19 epidemic… are on the rise due to population growth and change. climate.

Therefore, the functions and tasks of the specialized system have also changed. With the current model, the province’s specialized units encounter many difficulties in examining, treating, and managing people with tuberculosis and lung diseases. In particular, patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis in the attack phase must be transferred to Quang Tri Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Specialist Hospital. Many serious cases that are difficult to diagnose and treat must be transferred to other medical facilities, which will increase medical examination and treatment costs and increase the burden on patients; especially patients with low income and living in remote areas. In addition, transferring people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis also increases the risk of spread to the community.

Along with that, the Quang Binh health system currently lacks tuberculosis specialists and tuberculosis-respiratory nurses/population size and the epidemiological situation of tuberculosis, especially in the grassroots health system. There is no doctor specializing in tuberculosis. On the other hand, due to lack of operating funds, training activities to strengthen and improve TB prevention and control capacity for the grassroots health system have not been met; There are no resources for examination and detection of TB and latent TB in the community. In addition, coordination in TB prevention and control between levels, sectors, social organizations and communities is still limited, so synergy has not been mobilized for the goal of eliminating the disease. rush into 2035.

Strengthen resources to prevent and control tuberculosis

Implementing Official Dispatch No. 25/CD-TTg, dated March 25, 2024 of the Prime Minister on strengthening tuberculosis prevention and control, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Hoang Xuan Tan requested departments, branches and branches to , People’s Committees of districts, towns and cities; Request the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and socio-political organizations to continue to thoroughly grasp and proactively and effectively deploy the National Strategy for TB prevention and control to 2020 and vision to 2030; Plan No. 374/KH-UBND, dated March 16, 2021 of the Provincial People’s Committee on TB prevention and control in the period 2020-2025.

Determining that strengthening propaganda on tuberculosis prevention and control is an important, long-term task of the entire political system, all levels and sectors, in which the health sector is the core, focusing on grassroots health be the focus; the burden caused by tuberculosis to patients, families, communities and society; Tuberculosis is a curable disease.

The Provincial People’s Committee assigned the Department of Health to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to strengthen the capacity of the medical examination and treatment system (public and private), especially the grassroots health system in detecting and managing , tuberculosis treatment and prevention, including linkage with medical examination and treatment facilities; consolidate and improve the capacity of the system of tuberculosis prevention and control facilities in the area; closely follow the tuberculosis situation in the province to promptly direct the detection and treatment of tuberculosis patients; Effectively deploy measures to prevent and control tuberculosis in the community. At the same time, the Department of Finance was also assigned to advise and ensure funding for relevant agencies and units to deploy tuberculosis prevention and control activities in the province to focus on early detection and treatment. Cut off the source of infection and quickly reduce the tuberculosis epidemic in the community.

Noi Han