Primary health care joins hands to prevent and fight tuberculosis

To successfully achieve the goal of ending tuberculosis, recently, the grassroots medical staff at commune and ward health stations of the province have joined hands to drastically carry out tuberculosis prevention and control activities in the locality.

Typically, in Nghia Lo ward, with the attention of authorities at all levels, professional guidance of Lao Cai Provincial Department of Health and Provincial Center for Disease Control, the tuberculosis prevention and control program in the ward has been maintained and implemented with positive results.

Doctor Doan Thi Lan Anh - Head of Phuc Son Medical Station said: Tuberculosis patients treated at Phuc Son Medical Station are monitored to take medication regularly on time and in the correct dose. Therefore, many tuberculosis patients are completely cured.

Since the beginning of the year, the Station has examined 8 people suspected of tuberculosis, tested sputum and taken X-rays for many suspected cases, and admitted 2 tuberculosis patients.

Ms. LTX in Han village shared: I was treated for tuberculosis at the Provincial General Hospital No. 1. When I was stable, I was treated at home under the management of Phuc Son Health Station. I was instructed by medical staff to take medicine regularly at 9 o'clock and have regular health check-ups. Now my health is better, less coughing, less shortness of breath, less chest tightness, and after checking my lungs, they have improved a lot.

Similarly, Y Ty Medical Station is currently managing 3 TB patients. In addition, there are dozens of TB patients being treated at the regional medical center. TB patients are managed, monitored and treated according to the regimen by Y Ty Medical Station, and are given dedicated care, ensuring that they take the right dose of medication at the right time.

Along with that, the station also strengthens communication work, raising people's understanding of tuberculosis, thereby, they themselves are more proactive in participating in detecting, preventing and fighting tuberculosis for themselves and everyone in the community.

Doctor Trang Tho Gio - Head of Y Ty Health Station said: Y Ty is a particularly difficult commune, mainly inhabited by ethnic minorities. In particular, the Ha Nhi ethnic group has low housing structures, with only one door, so the rate of people with tuberculosis is high.

In recent times, the station has implemented many solutions to push back tuberculosis, such as propaganda, mobilizing people to improve their living space; establishing clubs from people who have recovered from tuberculosis to directly propagate to people; early detection, diagnosis, treatment and counseling for patients, and at the same time implementing disease prevention measures such as BCG vaccination and raising public awareness.

In October, the station will coordinate with the Provincial Center for Disease Control to organize screening for tuberculosis and lung diseases locally so that tuberculosis patients can be detected and treated promptly.

To strengthen screening and early detection of TB patients in the community, every year, health stations in other communes and wards in the province actively coordinate with the Provincial Center for Disease Control to organize screening for at-risk subjects to early detect TB patients in the community.

Specifically, in mid-August, the health stations of the communes and wards of Van Chan, Nghia Tam, Cau Thia, and Nghia Lo coordinated with the Provincial Center for Disease Control to examine and screen nearly 500 people with respiratory diseases: cough, shortness of breath, prolonged cough with phlegm... and people with asthma, COPD, suspected tuberculosis, and people in contact with tuberculosis patients from 2024 to present in the locality.

At health stations, people who come for screening receive clinical examination, digital X-ray, respiratory function test, sputum test with Gene Xpert machine, health consultation and Tuberculin injection to screen for latent tuberculosis...

After 5 days of screening for COPD, asthma, and tuberculosis at commune and ward health stations, the Provincial Center for Disease Control collected 26 sputum samples suspected of tuberculosis for testing, and administered 30 Mantoux injections to screen for latent tuberculosis, thereby detecting 16 cases of COPD and 5 cases of bronchial asthma. The cases detected through screening were promptly managed and treated.

Thanks to the cooperation of the grassroots medical force, since the beginning of the year, the whole province has screened more than 20,000 people, medical examination and treatment facilities in the province have detected 460 sensitive TB patients; managed and treated 601 TB patients... Thereby, ensuring that patients are diagnosed early and treated, quickly cutting off the source of disease transmission in the community.

Specialist II Doctor Bach Xuan Thuy - Deputy Director of the Provincial Center for Disease Control

In the coming time, the Provincial Center for Disease Control will continue to advise the Department of Health and the Provincial People's Committee to develop a plan to implement the Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Program in the area for the period 2026 - 2030 and related documents to quickly put tuberculosis prevention and control work into stable and continuous operation in communes and wards.

At the same time, continue to provide outpatient treatment drugs using health insurance funds in communes; train and improve the qualifications of specialized staff in tuberculosis prevention at commune and ward health stations, to meet the tasks in the new period.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/y-te-co-so-chung-tay-phong-chong-lao-post882542.html