A little pat on our back

We received a hand written note of thanks from a patient’s husband, and it truly made our day!

” When my wife was diagnosed with tuberculosis , doctors at Public Health Centre in West Mambalam contacted REACH and arranged for Mr Ramji, to act as her DOTS provider. He was kind enough to arrange for the medicines to be delivered speedily. REACH has been a boon to us. My wife, Mrs Saraswathy (aged 56) responded well to the medicines and it took only a month for her to resume eating normally. The efforts taken by REACH are praiseworthy and are to be emulated.

The moment my wife was diagnosed with tuberculosis, I knew it was curable and I did not hesitate to inform my relatives. There need not be any stigma attached to TB. We followed the regimen meticulously and are free from the disease.”

– Mr G Ramalingam, former Principal

Women and TB

Women’s Day is here again, and we celebrate being women, exult in our freedom and in being comfortable with ourselves, there’s still a long way to go in breaking mindsets concerning women with TB. Here’s a story from one of our field staff:

“I’ve been very upset with this case – Mrs Uma Maheshwari, who had lymph node TB, had been married for a year and a half.  Her husband had been supportive of her for many months and she had been regular with medication, until one fine day he sent her back to her mother’s house. The reason? That TB reduces fertility in women, a common stigma we see when on the field.

This mater has now been registered in a police station and divorce proceedings are happening. She went into depression and has been irregular with her medication. It’s really upsetting to see this stigma and how much it can affect someone.”

– Ramjee S, Social Worker, REACH