Training the workforce for ACF campaign

A state-level meeting by the Principal Secretary of Health & Family Welfare with all members must be held to communicate the days of the Active Case Finding (ACF) campaign and take all the necessary actions needed to conduct a successful campaign in the state.

Training for ACF is given in a top to bottom manner as follows:

I. State-level training workshop

• One-day training workshop for District and Sub-district level officers will be conducted. 
  
  • Trainers - State TB Officers (STOs), State TB Training and Demontration Centre (STDC) in charge, National TB Elimination Programme (NETP) Consultants, Central representatives
  • Trainees - District TB Officers (DTOs), Block/ Municipal Medical Officers, Senior Treatment Supervisor (STS), Senior Treatment Laboratory Supervisor (STLS), Non-government Organisation (NGO) partners, etc.
• The objective of the workshop should be to sensitise the district & block level planners on the strategy to be followed, the need for preparing micro-plans for their areas, and sort out issues of coordination between the implementing partners.
• Training to suspect the TB cases in the community, collection/ transport of sputum samples and recording/ reporting of daily activities should also be given.

II. District micro-planning meeting/ Urban area planning meeting

• The Chief Medical Officers (CMO) / DTOs/ National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) consultants and the NTEP field staff, should facilitate these meetings.
• The meetings have to be attended by all block/ municipal medical officers, and other organisations involved in social mobilisation, along with personnel involved in planning at the block level.
• The objective of these meetings should be to sensitise the Block Medical Officers (BMOs) on how to micro-plan for their areas for the upcoming ACF campaign. Special attention should be paid to developing area-specific Information, Education and Communication (IEC) strategies for difficult areas.

III. Orientation trainings at block/ ward level for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs)/ Field Level Workers (FLWs)/ NGO staff

• Trainers - DTOs, block/ municipal medical officers and NTEP consultants (wherever available)
• Trainees - ASHAs and local volunteers. Concerned supervisors of the team must also present during these orientation trainings.
• The objective of the trainings would be to build the capacity of all the field level workers (ASHA & FLW) to suspect TB cases in the community, collect/ transport sputum samples and record/ report daily activities.
• The orientation will cover the operational as well as the Interpersonal Communication (IPC) aspects of the ACF campaign.
• The instruction sheet for the search team, recording/ reporting tools, sputum collection & transportation methodologies, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) should be distributed and discussed during this orientation.
• Demonstration of recording/ reporting tools and house markings followed by exercises for ensuring all operational skills as also role plays on IPC and FAQs should form an essential component of all FLW/ ASHA training sessions.

References

• Active TB Case Finding Guidance Document, 2017, Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Assessment