©InfoWe have been supporting the Turkmenistan Red Crescent’s tuberculosis (TB) programme, since 2000.
The programme is improving the lives of people who have TB – an infectious disease which is curable but can be fatal if untreated. We do this by focussing on three areas:
- supporting clients to continue treatment
- providing psycho-social support
- communicating about TB.
Support during treatment
Red Crescent nurses work out of three state-run TB clinics across Turkmenistan – in Dashoguz, Ashgabat and Mary – overseeing patients’ four-month treatment. They also make home visits to clients with complex health and social needs.
Undergoing treatment for TB is a lengthy and difficult process, but thanks to Red Crescent nurses’ follow up and moral support, 93 per cent of the clients they saw in 2010 completed their treatment.
Nurses also make home visits to people who may have TB but have not yet been diagnosed, particularly family members and friends of clients.
Good nutrition is essential for those receiving TB treatment, so nurses also provide some of the more vulnerable clients with food parcels.
Psycho-social support
Clients under the care of Red Crescent nurses often note that they would not have been able to complete the treatment without the support they received.
The Red Crescent recruits many of the clients who have completed treatment as volunteers because they know better than anyone what clients are going through and so can offer peer support and encouragement.
Communication
A major part of the Red Crescent’s work centres around disseminating information about TB among patients’ family members and the general public, particularly in rural communities, schools, and large organisations. One of the key messages is that TB is curable.
Volunteers distribute leaflets and inform people about symptoms, preventive measures, and the availability of free treatment. In 2010, they reached over 16,000 people this way.
They have also run a very popular campaign in local newspapers and on TV, reaching at least 100,000 people.
In 2010 they conducted a survey that showed knowledge about TB is much higher than it used to be, with 75 per cent of the population knowing at least four signs of TB, measures to prevent it, and that it’s curable.
There is still considerable stigma surrounding the disease, and people affected by TB often find themselves cut off from society, which makes people less likely to seek medical attention when they suspect they have it. However, by increasing people’s awareness of the disease, the Red Crescent staff and volunteers are helping reduce stigma and improve people’s access to treatment.