On 15 January 2012, The Union launched a new programme called PICTS – Program to Increase Catchment of Tuberculosis Suspects. The grand opening of the one-year programme funded by TB REACH was celebrated at the Mandalay Divisional Health Department with a strong turnout from stakeholders and the media.
Dignitaries present included U Win Maung, Director of Disease Control and Dr Thandar Lwin, Programme Manager of the National Tuberculosis Programme. Other attending were a microbiologist from Upper Myanmar TB Center, the medical superintendent of Tuberculosis Hospital, township medical officers, representatives from the Mother and Child Welfare Association and other stakeholders. About 10 journalists from local newspapers and journals also participated in the opening.
The main objective of PICTS is to double the tuberculosis cases identified within one year. PICTS will implement its activities in seven townships of Mandalay in collaboration with township health centres. TB supervisors from the PICTS team will work closely with a tuberculosis key person from each township health centre: these key people will be government employees. There will also be about 30 volunteers from each township recruited to participate in implementing PICTS. Most of them will be persons living with TB or who have experience with tuberculosis-related issues.
One TB manager, two TB coordinators, seven TB supervisors, and over 200 volunteers will run the PICTS activities as a team. Strategies include TB suspect referral from general practitioners and drugstores; dissemination of Information Education Communication (IEC) materials; health education sessions in factories, schools and other places; technical support for the public sector to improve TB diagnosis; placement of sputum collection points where people can access them easily; and collaboration with other health sectors.
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| PICTS logo | TB supervisor giving health education session at a school |
Children at a PICTS health education session
Photo credits: Hnin Su Mon