The PATB network is a support network for people affected by tuberculosis (TB) that brings together members of the community to share their experiences with one another and help each other adhere to treatment. The Union has supported the PATB network in Myanmar since 2012, as part of the Programme to Increase Catchment of TB Suspects (PICTS), an active TB case-finding project serving the seven townships of Mandalay
The members of the PATB network also serve as community volunteers who provide necessary health information and services to their communities. This network of volunteers organises awareness activities, conducts health education workshops and assists in mobile clinics and mobile chest x-ray centres. The programme also traces TB patients’ contact with others in order to find those potentially infected with TB , in addition to organising weekly support meetings and working with civil society organisations.
One community member is Yaung Chi Oo, a 23-year-old man who was infected with TB in October 2013 after both his parents had already suffered from the disease. Before becoming infected, Yang was forced to leave his studies to support his family financially while his parents underwent treatment. The three of them are now successfully cured of TB and Yaung is an active member of the PATB network, where he volunteers as a health educator and works to support and encourage those in his community to get tested and treated.
“When I discovered I had TB I was overwhelmed, having already dealt with my parents’ sickness. The PATB network provided the help I needed to stay strong and stick to my treatment regimen,” says Yaung. “Once I was cured of TB and feeling strong again, it was important for me to get involved as a volunteer to pass on the support that I had benefitted from to someone else.”
The PICTS programme is run through The Union Office in Myanmar through a grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.