Photo Credit: The Hindu
Puducherry has become the first union territory to include tuberculosis (TB) patients under its ‘Family Adoption Programme’, integrating them into community-based care and psychosocial support initiatives. According to The Hindu, this landmark move by the government brings TB patients under the protective umbrella of families willing to “adopt” them, offering a holistic approach to treatment, adherence, nutrition support, and social integration while reducing stigma and improving outcomes.
Introduced recently as part of the National Family Adoption Programme, the initiative matches TB patients with volunteer families, including medical students, who act as treatment companions to ensure continuous care and emotional support. The programme seeks to empower TB-affected individuals by embedding them in a supportive environment beyond clinical settings.
A New Frontier in TB Care
Family adoption aligns with India’s broader mission to eliminate TB by 2025 and addresses a key challenge: treatment adherence. TB treatment regimens span six months or longer and can be hampered by side effects, isolation, and social stigma. The adoption model provides treatment support, nutritional assistance, and prompt monitoring of side effects and appointment schedules.
Medical students from local institutions are the early adopters of this model in Puducherry, pledging to support treatment and ensure patients complete their therapy successfully. They also follow recommended protocols for sputum testing, chest X-rays, and cartridge-based nucleic acid tests (CBNAAT), enhancing early detection and monitoring.
Impact on Patients and Communities
Early reports from Puducherry’s pilot programme reflect promising results. Patients report feeling emotionally supported, less isolated, and more motivated to complete treatment. This person-centred approach also extends to families, who gain awareness of TB prevention, infection control, and community health roles.
The initiative bridges gaps between health institutions and the broader public. Local community leaders, health workers, and volunteers have received training in TB education, stigma reduction, and active case finding—forming a strong support system that could improve case detection and reduce transmission.
Model for Other States
India’s National Family Adoption Programme encourages state and UT participation. Puducherry’s inclusion of TB patients sets a precedent for other regions to adopt and adapt the model. Its alignment with WHO-endorsed frameworks—such as the One Health and community-based care models—also makes it replicable.
Given Puducherry’s size, a successful rollout can be scaled across larger states, with trained volunteers supplementing the overburdened health workforce.
Addressing Structural Barriers
TB control isn’t limited to medical treatment. Underlying challenges include poverty, undernutrition, and limited healthcare access. The family adoption model aims to mitigate these by ensuring social support, food security, and care coordination, reducing the risk of interruptions in therapy due to financial or logistical issues.
Improved accountability also emerges from deploying a data-driven system where families and volunteers report missed doses, symptoms, and test results, dovetailing with the Nikshay Poshan Yojana and adherence monitoring systems.
Early Challenges and Considerations
Initial hurdles include recruiting willing families, especially in urban or dense rural areas where privacy concerns loom large. Sustaining volunteer motivation over the six-month treatment duration is another question mark, highlighting the need for periodic engagement, recognition, and possibly incentives.
Training is also essential—adopter families need clear guidance in recognizing side effects, confidentiality, and referral pathways for emergencies. Coordination with medical teams ensures that volunteers do not overstep clinical boundaries or compromise patient privacy.
The Way Forward
Encouraged by early success, Puducherry health officials are considering pilot expansion to also cover multi-drug-resistant (MDR-TV) patients, who require therapy spanning 9–12 months with frequent monitoring and higher side effect risks.
To ensure continuity, an expert committee is evaluating program implementation, patient satisfaction, volunteer retention, and treatment completion statistics. Longitudinal studies are planned to assess the model’s impact on recurrence rates and long-term health outcomes.
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