On World TB Day, we would like to showcase the dedicated service of community TB volunteers in the fight against MDR-TB in Myanmar. They are the heroes of many MDR-TB patients, whose treatment has been successful due to the committed efforts of volunteers, supported by the Global Fund. 

Everyone has a day they most wish for in their life. For Daw Inn Inn Hlaing, a 49-year-old mother from Yangon, it is the day she will have completed her anti-TB treatment, have been cured of the disease, and be enjoying her life with her family again.

As she takes a dose of anti-TB medicine, provided as directly observed treatment by the Pyi Gyi Khin team at her home, she is so sure that her dream day will come soon. However, several months ago she was so sick with TB that she felt hopeless and thought she would never recover.

“Everyone is afraid of getting infected with TB – more so the multi-drug resistant TB that I have contracted – so they mostly try to stay away from me,” says Daw Inn Inn Hlaing. This makes TB patients feel more isolated and hopeless.

She is married with two children and the family lives on her husband’s income. So much of her daily life is devoted to taking care of her family; her younger daughter has a disability and she has to stay by her side all the time.

When she developed a persistent cough, Daw Inn Inn Hlaing did not worry too much, thinking it was just a seasonal flu that would eventually go away. Her busy life delayed her getting the appropriate care. “I am so occupied as a caregiver for my daughter that I cannot take care of myself, even though I have diabetes,” she recalls.

She became depressed after she was diagnosed with MDR-TB and the doctor explained that her diabetes made her more vulnerable. The basic health staff from township health department gave her anti-TB injections and the morning dose of anti-TB medication. The Pyi Gyi Khin team, comprising a volunteer and a volunteer’s monitor, also accompanied the basic health staff to provide her evening dose of anti-TB medication.

She continued, “I am so grateful to them, as they visit my home to administer medication and to make sure I complete the whole course. They patiently answer all my questions about how TB can be spread and how I can prevent passing on the infection to my family. They willingly extend their psychosocial support and calm my worries, as if I were their own relative. I am also thankful for the transportation costs provided for TB patients like me. I am inspired to contribute such a donation one day myself.”

She is bright and hopeful as she looks forward to the day when she is fully cured of TB, and is able to take care of her daughter once again. “I have woken up to the bright rays of the morning of my life, which has been made possible only with the dedicated support I have received from the hospital physician, the township basic health staff, my family, and Pyi Gyi Khin TB volunteers.”

Today Daw Inn Inn Hlaing has completed the whole course of MDR-TB treatment. Her quality of life has improved and once again, she can happily enjoy life with her daughter.

Pyi Gyi Khin has been implementing its Global Fund supported MDR-TB project, ‘Patient centered community based MDR-TB care model’ since 2018 in 21 townships in Yangon, with the aim of supporting treatment success in MDR-TB patients while ensuring infection control and a standard package of support with the close collaboration of the National Tuberculosis Programme.