ABSTRACT
Background: Tuberculosis is a chronic, communicable, infectious disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli usually affecting lungs primarily resulting in pulmonary tuberculosis. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) through the assessment of case detection performance of the patients registered for treatment under RNTCP in tuberculosis units (TUs). Materials and Methods: The present record-based, observational cross-sectional study was carried out under district tuberculosis centre, Satara, involving all the 10 TUs. District tuberculosis centre is located in the campus of District Hospital, Satara. The functioning of RNTCP under district tuberculosis centre at the level of TUs was studied from 2012 to 2014. Fifty slides of sputum smear positive and 50 slides of sputum smear negative for tuberculosis were selected randomly. Results: Tuberculosis suspect rate was found consistently increasing from 2012 to 2014 in majority of TUs except Umbraj TU. Sputum positive rate was also consistently low in Umbraj TU. Sputum positive smear rate was higher in Bel-Air TU consistently from 2012 followed by Satara TU. Annualized new smear-positive case detection rate was higher in Satara and Bel-Air TUs in 2012; however, it was within the range of 68–83% in 2012 which rose to 86.9% in 2013 at Koregaon and 89.5% at Wai TU in 2014. Conclusion: Tuberculosis suspect rate is consistently low at both Umbraj and Bel-Air TU. Sputum smear-positive rate is consistently higher at Satara and Bel-Air TU.