Dots therapy as an "idealized body" making project: Participation of pulmonary tuberculosis patients in the national tuberculosis control program (ntp) of bangladesh
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Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet Bangladesh
Publication date: 2023-04-26
Popul. Med. 2023;5(Supplement):A1802
ABSTRACT
The fight against TB has a long history in Bangladesh since 1965. By 2007, NTP reached 100% DOTS coverage nationwide, with a 96% success rate of tuberculosis treatment in Bangladesh. Additionally, TB care coverage improved to 81% in 2019. We employ the concept of Biological Citizenship to critically examine the mechanisms of creating and turning pulmonary tuberculosis patients into “Idealized Body” through governing techniques of DOTS therapy in Bangladesh. This study followed a Focused Ethnographic Study (FES) approach, including 28 In-depth Interviews and 16 key informant interviews with TB patients, caregivers, community people, and TB healthcare officials, along with multiple short field visits, direct observations, and relevant document review. The study took place in the urban settings of Sylhet city, Bangladesh, and the participants were selected purposively. Based on the existing TB control program implemented by government organizations and non-government organizations to understand the notion of the pulmonary TB healthcare-seeking and providing process and its effect on the pulmonary TB patients as 80% of TB in Bangladesh are pulmonary Tuberculosis. Our study highlights how pulmonary tuberculosis patients are disciplined, governed, and turned into “Idealized Bodies” through DOTS therapy. The DOTS therapy for Tuberculosis emphasizes self-management, individual responsibilities, health optimization, and disease prevention. Our study showed that the governing mechanisms of DOTS therapy help pulmonary TB patients to understand the disciplinary mechanisms currently effective in DOTS therapy in Bangladesh to make a self-disciplined patient that eventually and gradually turns into an “Idealized Body.”