Target TB working in partnership with Raphael in India

Country/regional profile

India has a population of approximately 1.1 billion people and is one of the world's fastest growing economies, yet over a quarter of people in India still live on less than $1 a day.

Poverty and TB are inextricably linked and India has the highest incidence of TB in the world. Approximately 1.9 million new cases emerge each year and over 1,000 Indians die of TB every single day.

This project is situated in Dehradun, a mountainous area in the foothills of the Himalayas in Uttaranchal State, north west India. People living in these rural areas have little access to healthcare services and suffer from particularly high levels of poverty, increasing their vulnerability to TB.

Mr Sharma examines sputum samples at the Raphael Clinic
Image: David Brunetti
Mr Sharma examines
sputum samples for TB

Our work with Raphael

Target TB is working in partnership with Raphael Ryder-Cheshire International Centre for the Relief of Suffering (Raphael), an established local organistion founded by Lady Ryder and her husband Lord Cheshire in 1957. Raphael started working in TB in the 1970s, originally supporting a BCG vaccination programme in the area.

Since then the TB programme has expanded and in 1984 a specialised TB hospital and out-patients clinic was established to serve TB patients in Uttaranchal and adjoining states of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal. People come from far away to access these specialised services, as the hospital is one of the few such dedicated facilities in India.

Project Aims

To provide high quality TB testing and treatment facilities to TB patients, including a specialised in-patient unit for the chronically ill. Raphael aims to meet and exceed the World Health Organization targets for TB cure and completion rates.

Project Activities

  • Providing high quality TB testing services through sputum microscopy and x-ray, including tests and 
    treatment for drug-resistant forms of TB.
  • Providing comprehensive TB treatment support to patients in line with the Indian Government's Revised
    National TB Control Programme and DOTS.
  • Providing a specialised in-patient facility to TB patients who need to be hospitalised. Most in-patients
    stay for 4-6 weeks and receive high quality care free of charge from resident doctors and nurses.
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