KHPT received the USAID India’s grant to implement the Tuberculosis Health Action Learning Initiative (THALI), Pool 2 Project, in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune. KHPT will assist Government of India (GoI) to identify, apply and scale up successful innovative approaches to address tuberculosis (TB). The project will specially focus on reaching the under or inadequately served urban slum dwellers and other low income populations, women and children.

THALI works with the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) of GoI, municipal corporations, state and city governments, private health care providers and private industries/corporate sector to improve TB control. It aims to support implemetation of best practices and innovations in the prevention, detection and treatment of TB, reduce social stigma associated with the disease, empower communities to manage the disease and encourage increased private sector funding to the TB-free India campaign.

The KHPT led consortium implements a comprehensive private provider interface agency (PPIA) model, in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune, to deliver an integrated solution divided into five components, which include:

• Increased TB awareness among the general population, especially the vulnerable communities.
• Improved access of priority target groups to quality assured laboratory services.
• Standard diagnosis and treatment through adoption of Standards of TB Care in India (STCI) by private providers.
• Comprehensive patient and family care and support.
• Increased government, private and civil society investment to sustain TB control efforts.

THALI’s patient-centric approach expects to decrease rates of TB incidence and mortality by ensuring successful treatment initiation and completion. It will help TB-patients gain access to trusted treatment services through adoption of STCI suited to their needs, schedules and financial means. Both public and private sector service providers will be engaged in these efforts.

With an emphasis on learning, improved data and rigorous scientific testing of approaches, THALI expects to generate knowledge on barriers to providing quality private sector TB services, and fundamentals required for a successful scale up.

USAID/India anticipates that in the later years of THALI, it may be appropriate to augment learning and sharing of information through global knowledge transfer to enhance TB control efforts in other countries.