5.3 When should the treatment of tuberculosis be started

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Treatment should be initiated as early as possible after confirmation of the disease. The responsible medical officer/graduate physician should categorize the patient. Designated staff will fill-up the treatment card and register the patient in the TB register and maintain other documents related to the diagnosis and treatment of the patient.

The first dose of drugs should be administered at the respective health facility and subsequently, the patient is then referred to the designated DOT provider for the remaining treatment. At the time of starting treatment itself, all the drugs for the entire course of treatment (both intensive and continuation phase) for each patient should be made available at the designated DOT centre/s.

The medical officer or TB manager/supervisor should conduct a weekly review and cross check the TB register with the laboratory register to ensure that all patients diagnosed in the laboratory are registered and enrolled for treatment.

Patients who are Bacteriological positive according to the laboratory register but are yet to be registered and initiated on treatment should be traced within two weeks after the laboratory result is available and started on the appropriate treatment regimen.