MDR-TB care arrangements and practices vary widely across teaching hospitals; hospital premises, equipment, supplies and staff strengthened for offering quality MDR-TB care as per program-endorsed protocols.

• Location: Ten hospitals in Punjab; and one hospital each in Islamabad and Muzafarabad (AJK) districts.
• Activities:
  • Arrange premises, including infection control, for outpatient and inpatient MDR-TB care;
  • Strengthened hospital diagnostics for MDR-TB care (e.g. GeneXpert); also link hospitals with a reference laboratory for drug sensitivity testing.
  • Arrange MDR-TB drugs (through National TB Program); also enhance hospital ability to store and manage MDR-TB drugs;
  • Recruit additional medical and allied staff (i.e. 8 person); and train the hospital and project staff for MDR-TB care at each participating hospital
  • Deliver program-endorsed MDR-TB care, free-of-charge, at each participating hospital
  • Enable and engage rural health centers and secondary hospitals for delivering community-based MDR-TB care
  • Maintain patient records; also monitor and support the hospital and community based care (by facility/project staff)
  • Manage social support for each registered MDR-TB patient and his/her supporter (i.e. food pack and travel reimbursement on each monthly follow-up visit to a hospital)
• Outputs:
  • outpatient and inpatient premises and drug storage enhanced for MDR-TB care at 12 public tertiary hospitals
  • 96 project staff added (trained & supported) for MR-TB care at 12 hospitals.
  • 120 doctors and 120 allied staff at tertiary hospitals trained and supported for MDR-TB care, as per program protocols
  • 612 doctors and 787 allied staff at (sub) district hospitals and rural health centers got trained on MDR-TB care.
  • 2,226 MDR-TB cases diagnosed, registered and being treated
  • More than 60% treatment success achieved among registered MDR-TB patients