Nepal’s TB control programme is renowned for its broad
outreach across communities in a very mountainous and diverse country, and this year Stop
TB is focusing on Nepal’s activities as an example of good practice in involving
different groups including the poorest in society in TB control. Their events this year
will span the whole week leading up to March 24th and will include the opening
of two new DOTS clinics in Kathmandu, one in a private teaching hospital and another in a
carpet factory – the first DOTS in the workplace scheme in the country. There will
also be a wide range of events run by local community groups in the capital and across the
country. These will be run by women’s groups, community healthcare centres,
international organisations, and NGOs such as the Yala Urban Health Programme (YUHP),
which runs a DOTS clinic in its multifunctional health centre in Patan, near Kathmandu.
Events include speaker meetings, street dramas, radio and media coverage, education and
awareness raising events in schools and community centres, and a drive to gather inspire
more people to volunteer as TB treatment observers.
Events will culminate with a huge street parade through the capital Kathmandu, led by
elephants marching in procession. This event has traditionally attracted thousands of
participants, including schoolchildren, police, teachers, health workers, youth groups,
community action groups, women’s organisations, the military, private healthcare
practitioners, and members of the general public keen to show their support for stopping
TB in Nepal. The procession will end up at the national stadium where 30,000 people will
hear an address from the King and the Honourable Minister for Health, who will speak on
the subject of TB in Nepal. There will also be speeches by TB control experts such as Dr
Dirgh Singh Bam, chief of the National TB Centre for Nepal and a musical performance
carrying the message of Stop TB, fight poverty.