In a strategic development, the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) recently entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and retail dispensing and chemists associations to strengthen the role of pharmacists in TB care and control initiatives.  This collaboration is aimed at educating pharmacists about the important role they can play in TB control and awareness movement in the city through a well-accepted training module developed by experts from Central TB Division (CTD) and IPA.

It is understood that IPA will be scaling-up its activities in Mumbai with MCGM to bring in maximum number of pharmacists into its fold by training them, so that they can be part of this healthcare initiative.  IPA will be closely working to highlight the pivotal role of pharmacist in generating community awareness on TB identification and referral of TB suspects, Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) provision, recording and reporting and rational use of anti TB drugs to prevent further spread of the infection.

They will jointly train pharmacists to refer suspected TB cases to the nearest sputum microscopy centres, as well as act as DOTS providers to ensure availability of free anti-TB medicines through pharmacies to the TB patients.

As of now, IPA has trained over 150 plus chemists in Mumbai, using this model. However, Manjiri Gharat, vice-president and chairperson of Community Pharmacy Division, IPA stressed that to ensure best result oriented approach towards TB control, these numbers need to go up. Especially since Mumbai has over 5000 plus chemists shops which can be part of this game changing initiative.

“There is an urgent need to understand the seriousness of this matter and we strongly believe that more such initiatives are needed to tackle the TB menace. Pharmacists can play a vital role in TB control throughout the country by using their immense knowledge and expertise appropriately. IPA is striving towards encouraging pharmacists to be a partner in this initiative by either being DOTs provider or by ensuring referrals of suspected patients to the nearest DOTs centre,” Gharat stressed.

Altogether, there are around 1500 plus pharmacists who are efficiently trained under the TB DOTS programme; which is also replicated by its partner NGOs to train others. The ministry of health in association with IPA had released this training module for community pharmacists under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) in 2013.