Imphal, January 16: The State TB Control authorities will launch a 'Directly Observed Treatment' (DOT) programme from January 21, Manipur's Statehood Day, under the aegis of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Central Tuberculosis Division, an official said.

The State is now ready to implement the programme from all angles with an aim to completely eradicate the dreaded disease, the State's TB Control Officer Dr G Binodkumar told reporters today.

The DOT programme is being taken up under the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTBCP).

The programme is being conducted in 39 districts of the country including Imphal and Dibrugarh in the North East in 1998, he added.

In view of the successful implementation of the ongoing pilot project in Imphal, the WHO has already given its green signal to carry out the DOT programme all over the State, he said.

A six member appraisal team, three members of the WHO and another three of the Central TB Control studied the infrastructures such as the staff position, Laboratory Diagnosis centres and the preparedness of the State authorities for the implementation of the programme during December 9 to 15 last year.

The team later on had given its green signal for launching the project, he said.

Around 38 NGOs in the State will assist the authorities in implementing the programme at 500 centres.

All the DOT centres will identify the TB infected persons under their jurisdictions and supply medicines freely in consultation with the doctors at 41 Microscopic centres.

There will he one District TB officer, one trained Medical Officer, one senior TB Laboratory Supervisor and one senior Treatment Supervisor and some others at each Microscopic centre, he said.

A team of around 20 doctors from the other North East States will study the programme from the State experts.

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