Drugs, Consumables and Financial Support at Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres

Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centers (AB-HWCs) are being provided with anti-TB drugs, consumables and financial support under NTEP.

Uninterrupted supply of drugs and consumables and proper financial support forms the important components of TB elimination program. Under AB-HWC, many Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Urban-PHCs will have microscopy centers which will need periodic supply of laboratory consumables. Similarly, under National TB Elimination Program (NTEP), TB treatment services are also decentralized, demanding uninterrupted supply of drugs.

• There needs to be adequate quantity of anti-TB drugs to manage patients on care at AB-HWCs and for any new patients brought under the purview of care of the AB-HWCs.
• Indenting of drugs should be done on the basis of the consumption pattern, along with maintaining adequate buffer stock to avoid any supply chain disruptions.
• NTEP supervisory staff under overall supervision of District TB Officer (DTO) need to work in close coordination with AB-HWC team and provide consumables like specimen containers, slides, falcon tubes, packaging material, reagents in adequate quantity. 
• All forms of records, educational material and sleeves/ patient wise box etc. for adherence technology also needs to be made available in adequate quantity.
• NTEP Nikshay and Nikshay Aushadi portal needs to be utilized for management of drugs and consumables apart from the existing recording and reporting formats.

Financial support:

Under NTEP, various financial support mechanisms are available for TB services integration in Health and Wellness Center (HWC) and should be utilized for better TB case finding and other TB related services. These include:

1. Screening, referral linkages and follow-up under Latent TB Infection Management
2. Incentives for Active TB Case Finding
3. Community meetings
4. Patient provider meetings
5. School/ college-based activities
6. Sensitization of private providers, Non-Governmental Organizations, Panchayat Raj Institutions
7. Information Education Communication (IEC) activities such as folk, mela, street plays, signages, wall paintings, wall writings, hoardings, banners, miking.

Funding for the above will be as per the rates and plan approved by respective State/Union Territory Governments under National Health Mission.

Resources

• Operational Guidelines for TB Services at Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, NTEP, MoHFW, December 2020.

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