The Philippine Tuberculosis Society, Inc. (PTSI) is a pioneering institution in the country’s efforts at tuberculosis (TB) prevention, control and treatment. It is a non-government, non-stock, not-for-profit organization that has been engaged in the struggle against this dreaded disease for more than a century now.  Its corporate predecessor, the Philippine Islands Anti-Tuberculosis Society, was founded on July 29, 1910, ante-dating both the Philippine Commonwealth (1935) and Philippine Republic (1946).

On December 14, 1918, the Society opened its Santol Sanatorium in Quezon City. Now known as the Quezon Institute, the sanatorium started out with 14 nipa houses for TB patients. It operated under the prevailing notion that isolation, bed rest, fresh air and nutritious food would cure tuberculosis.

PTSI operated 52 chest clinics throughout the country until 2000 when financial strains and the advances of DOTS made it logical to reduce the number to 8. From the beginning, the Society has been involved in the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) of the DOH.

During the last ten years, the Society has taken significant steps to revitalize the organization and evolve to be more responsive to advances in TB control and medical technology. It has downsized its hospital operations and has shifted to investing more in capacity building for its research, training, advocacy and education functions. It also intends to promote mass health screening, and expand into public policy formulation and lobbying for relevant health measures.