This was announced during a press conference at the regional tuberculosis dispensary on the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day, which is celebrated on March 24.
This innovative approach to fostering patient adherence to treatment is used in only a few countries worldwide. It implies that the patient does not have to travel 6 times a week to see their doctor to take the necessary medications in their presence. It is sufficient to make a video report of self-administration and send it over the Internet.
In Belarus, this form of work is currently being tested only in Minsk, but it is expected to reach regional centers in the near future. For example, the Vitebsk city organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society plans to purchase several smartphones by the end of April for subsequent distribution to patients undergoing outpatient treatment. The gadgets will be purchased with funds from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It is worth noting
to state that they will be received only by those who are constantly taking medication and undergoing examination, but due to being busy with studies or work, it is difficult for them to visit the doctor's office every time.
Patients who are also undergoing outpatient treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis will be issued a bank card through the Red Cross committees starting this year, on which a monthly cash allowance will be credited. This allowance can be used for personal needs, including paying for travel to the main medical institution where the tuberculosis dispensary is located.
In addition, starting this year, the costs of providing food packages, which were previously compensated by the Global Fund, will be covered by local budgets. As many years of practice show, patients interested in such support become more disciplined and responsible in their treatment.
All these expenses are justified. After all, tuberculosis treatment is quite long and expensive. Therefore, it is very important to foster patient adherence to treatment by all possible means and subsequently achieve their recovery.
It is a significant event for the domestic phthisiatric service that new, recently developed anti-tuberculosis drugs have started to be supplied to Belarus. Within the framework of clinical trials, 150 Belarusians, including 7 representatives from the Vitebsk region, are receiving "Bedaquiline".
As commented in the regional tuberculosis dispensary, according to preliminary assessment, the drugs have proven effective, and there are grounds to hope for a positive outcome. Some patients have already successfully completed the first stage of treatment at the National Research Center for Pulmonology and Phthisiology in Minsk and have been referred for the second stage at the Republican Tuberculosis Hospital "Sosnovka" in the Vitebsk region. In 2016, "Delamanid" is also expected to be supplied to Belarus. Both drugs are primarily aimed against tuberculosis with extensive drug resistance.
The effectiveness of the fight against tuberculosis largely depends on timely diagnosis. One of the most common methods is fluorography. Thus, 84% of new tuberculosis cases in the Vitebsk region were detected precisely after this examination. In total, over the past year, 331 people were registered with phthisiatricians of the Dvina region for this disease. The incidence is gradually decreasing and according to the results
27.6 per 100,000 population in 2015, with a better indicator only in the capital (16).
In the overall mortality structure, tuberculosis accounts for 0.25%. Last year, 42 patients in the northern region died from it, 40 of whom had a chronic form of the disease with multiple and extensive drug resistance, which developed due to patients interrupting treatment in the past, contributing to the progression of tuberculosis and the development of severe complications.
Natalia RYAZHKOVA, photo by the author. "Vitebskiye Vesti".