Launch Strategy

Advocacy

Advocacy helps to create an enabling environment for behaviour change by helping define the problem for decision-makers and the public by helping making it a priority at all levels by changing policies and increase resources. It is necessary to gain political support and keeping a high level of political commitment and visibility of the program. CTD can engage the political leaders, community leaders, the medical community and the public with one slogan for example "Chikitsa ek ki, suraksha sab ki". Specific advocacy activities would include :

* Interactive stalls at 'health melas'

* Organizing of mass rallies during 'World TB Day' i.e. 24th of March

* Conducting Exhibitions at National & State Level

* Soliciting support of Anganwadi workers / NGOs & Local Self Help Groups / DOTS providers / Local Opinion Leaders as change agents

* Soliciting support of associations like IMA, Central Council of Homeopathy, State Boards of Ayurvedic Medicines, Central Council of Research in Unani Medicine and traditional healers

2. Mass Media

Mass media can reach a large number of people, extend the reach of the program and legitimize a topic by creating an enabling environment for action. CTD should determine the target reach to establish the primary and secondary TGs. Then on the basis of the understanding of the analysis, the various mass media vehicles viz. television, radio, print, outdoor should be used to address the various issues of TB.

(a) Television & Radio

CTD would air TVCs, radio spots and print ads to :

* Raise community awareness about TB

* Correct common misconceptions

* Motivate patients to seek care

* Encourage public to participate in fight against TB.

In addition, the widely recognized messages "If you cough for more than 3 weeks, you must go to a health center" and "DOTS is 100% sure and complete cure for TB", the program should develop other messages to encourage the public to help family members, neighbours and other community members to seek care. Messages for patients would stress the importance of completing treatment to achieve total cure. The program would also emphasize the fact that the treatment and other services such as counseling and laboratory services are provided free of cost. Messages would stress upon the word "free" and "Get your treatment done after your work" to appeal to the low-income group in order to motivate them to seek care.

R K Swamy after developing these tools, would dub them into local languages so that they can be aired across the media channels of all states.

(b) Printed Materials

The RNTCP and the DOTS logos would appear at all the service sites and would be widely disseminated through the print media and across all the printed materials. This would lead to nationwide recognition which would help the public to easily identify TB service sites. All the print materials developed for CTD by R K Swamy would be adapted into local languages and reproduced by the respective states. R K Swamy would also develop a quarterly newsletter on TB for free distribution to the community.

(c) Outdoors

The primary role of outdoors is to " Alert, Remind and Direct Traffic" towards hospitals that offer TB care services and also create top of mind awareness. The Outdoors can involve both a combination of static and mobile mediums and must be in vernacular language. Pictorial representation should get primary focus and the messages should not be text heavy.

R K Swamy in association with Hansa Outsell would initiate a pilot project for Ourdoor across 2 towns each in 5 states. On the completion of the project, the model can be replicated by the other states locally.

2. Public Relations

Public relation and events would be used not to tell the public what to think, but what to think about. Public Relations involves :

1. Evaluation of public attitude and opinions.

2. CTD's procedure and policies helping public in mind.

3. Developing good-will through a two way communication process.

4. Relationship between the CTD's and public.

Moreover, reports, news and feature stories should be regularly released in the national and local publications.

R K Swamy in association with Creative Crest would initiate PR strategies to :

* Gain political commitment

* Gain community participation

* Soliciting Public Private Participation (PPP)

3. Events & Exhibitions

Events would be used to highlight to mobilize support from specific target groups like :

* Political Leaders

* Opinion Leaders

* People at large

Moreover, exhibitions can be used to showcase the achievements of the program.

R K Swamy would organize a mass rally at a national level during the occasion of 'World TB Day' on 24th March which can be replicated across state level. R K Swamy would also organize a national level exhibition showcasing CTD's achievement whgich can be used as template for states to initiate the same.

4. Interpersonal Communication and Counseling

IPC/C is the key to achieving national targets for TB case detection and treatment success. Counseling is considered a critical need before and during treatment. Rk Swamy in association with Hansa Medcell would develop CME kits for doctors and para-medical health service providers for TB i.e. DOTS providers to enhance their counseling skills. The state government can then further replicate these training materials to intensify the training in their respective states for courses on communication skills