T. B. Clinic

Started at Chunamandi, Paharganj, in a small rented room in October 1933, “as a philanthropic institution” to serve specially the poorer sections of the community, the clinic was shifted to a comparatively spacious house near Jama Masjid in August 1934. In September 1935, the clinic was again moved to a well-ventilated and spacious building named “Hanging Bridge” near Edward Park in Daryaganj. Ramakrishna Mission had shown, for the first time in India, the efficacy of treating T.B. patients as out- patients. As there were no anti-T.B. drugs available during this period, this concept was not in vogue. The statistics during the period 1933-35 proved the advantages of such treatment for poor T.B. patients who could not afford to be admitted in a T.B. Sanatorium. The then British Government appreciated this method of Ramakrishna Mission and encouraged others to start such T.B. Clinics elsewhere also.

A scheme for a permanent building was formulated in 1938. The Mission authorities had approached the local government for the allotment of a plot of land in Daryaganj for erecting a permanent building for the clinic. While the local government agreed to allot a site and negotiations for it were proceeding, Delhi Improvement Trust came into existence and offered an alternative site near Kashmiri Gate, which the Mission authorities accepted. Later, with the modification of the T.B. Control Programmes in 1938, Delhi Improvement Trust offered the Mission authorities the present site at Karol Bagh (Arya  Samaj Road) in 1940. The Mission got possession of the land on March 11, 1940. An additional plot of land was also acquired for staff quarters etc. Construction of the T.B. Clinic building was completed by the end of 1947. The formal opening ceremony of the new building was performed by Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the then Union Health Minister. In August 1949, the clinic began to admit indoor patients to its16 observation beds. An ENT Department was added in 1949. Another building to accommodate residential staff was constructed on an adjacent plot of land in 1954.

When the government decided to involve NGOs under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), the Ramakrishna Mission Free T.B. Clinic was selected as the district centre for Karol Bagh. The clinic had adopted Direct Observed Therapy (DOT) in 1996, though the RNTCP was officially launched on 28 October 1998.

The RNTCP at Ramakrishna Mission Free T.B. Clinic comprises the following components:

1. Case finding: diagnosis of new T.B. patients.
1. Treatment of T.B. patients, both DOTS and non DOTS.
2. Symptomatic support to cases of T.B. and other diseases.
2. Diagnosis of multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensive drug resistant (XDR) cases of T.B. by sending suspects for sputum culture and drug sensitivity (culture and DST)
3. Treatment of MDR and XDR cases.
4. Case holding: Motivation of all T.B. cases for continuation of treatment for 6-8 months and MDR cases for 2 years.
5. Selection of serious patients for admission to T.B. hospitals.
6. Examination of contacts of sputum positive patients for presence of disease.
7. Providing INH chemoprophylaxis to children below 6 years of sputum positive patients.
8. Giving health education to patients, their families, and to the community at large.
9. Conducting awareness programmes for tuberculosis in schools.
10. Arranging painting competitions on tuberculosis for school children.
11. Conducting sensitization programmes for medical officers of government dispensaries.
12. Involving private practitioners in the RNTCP programme.