Finding the hard-to-reach TB patients in Pakistan

Finding hard-to-reach tuberculosis patients has been a skill that some organizations in Pakistan — which has one of the highest TB burdens in the world — have been working to perfect. When a TB patient is detected too late, it often means grappling with a more severe case that has already spread throughout the community. This makes active case finding — health workers seeking out people with tuberculosis as opposed to waiting for people to show up at a clinic with symptoms — an effective way to manage the disease in the worst-hit places. Organizations in the Stop TB Partnership's TB REACH initiative have been experimenting with different ways on how to do this more effectively. That includes bringing portable X-ray machines to coal mines and brick kilns to screen the workers who are at heightened risk. “If we really want to hit the mark of ending TB, we need to do what we have not done yet,” said Kinz ul Eman, chief executive officer of the Dopasi Foundation. Her organization was the first organization globally to deploy ultra-portable X-ray machines for chest screening. Keep reading: Join Devex in the coal mines and brick kilns of Pakistan as we explore the efforts to test and treat hard-to-reach patients in this visual story. Editor’s note: This story is part of a Devex series on what’s working in global health. These are editorially independent articles, supported with funding from the Gates Foundation. Through this reporting, Devex will cover global health successes, exploring how these responses worked, what challenges they encountered, as well as key lessons and insights. To get in touch about the series, including pitches for us to consider, email editor@devex.com.