Tuberculosis Control Program

Bhangar is one of the major towns in the Sunderbans about 40 kms from Calcutta. It is here the spadework for the holy war against Tuberculosis – TB – was started, planned and fought by a band of dedicated socially active volunteers mobilized by Wohab and Sabitri under effective guidance of Brother Gaston. Dominique Lapierre also extended his kind heart with enormous fund contribution without which possibly the TB Control / Eradication Program should have not sustained for long.

Intervention by Brother Gaston ensured that Mr. Dominique Lapierre was personally involved in the project. Following the instance of Dominique, other foreign donours extended their
spontaneous help to SHIS. Dominique Dada visits the villages of Sunderbans every year to see the conditions of the patients. A total of Rs. 47 Lacs has since been utilized out of the huge fund donated by Dominique Lapierre for TB Eradication Programs.

Financial assistance from people like them ensured that better facilities were given to TB victims. Corporate donations followed and soon, international donor agencies also pledged their support to the worthy cause initiated by SHIS. Today, SHIS extends support to million of TB victims in hundreds of rural villages in the remote areas of Sunderbans and North Bengal. Government of India already assigned SHIS in their Revised National Tuberculosis (RNTCP) Program in the year 2001. In 2003, Department of Tuberculosis, Government of West Bengal signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SHIS and assigned SHIS to treat 500,000 TB patients each, in three blocks of Bhangar-II, Pathar Pratima and Basanti-Gosaba blocks. This stupendous task of treating additional 15,00,000 villagers is being shouldered by SHIS with simling face.
"The most important aspect in preventing default is how the patient is treated when he comes to the clinic; kindness, education, patience and systematic follow-up by cohort analysis” – Sir John Crofton.
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