Dr. Kul Bhushan
former Research Officer, BCG
17.7.1998

It is unique that the NTP is the first public health programme to be integrated with GHS. It caught the imagination of health workers at the international level. The inclusion of managerial and social concepts in its formulation makes the programme a unique one.

The training programme of NTI needs a special mention. Well designed and tested details of steps and activities of functions formed the foundation of the training programme. The exposure of all categories of trainees to statistics helped them think objectively in a rational way. The inter functional exposure gave them the overall picture of the total programme. The innovative vocational training impressed a lot of observers, as was observed from the performance of field workers. In the field, one was also impressed with the outgoing extroverted personality of an average worker trained in NTI. If allowed, most of the para medical staff were achievers. Perhaps, they had acquired such qualities from group discussions, public speaking, presentation of the special aspect of their work. They had the freedom to choose the subject of their presentation. They were encouraged to consult teachers, administrators, field trainers and above all the library. All these created a laudable learning environment, which was also pointed out by casual visitors. Some of the observers even stated that NTI was conducting mini, brief or short general public health courses, rather than only the national programme.

The pity, however, is the failure of the NTI and DGHS, TB section, to carry the state health services along with them in implementation and running the NTP, to its deserved success. Supervision is the biggest weakness of the programme - the supply line failure, lack of support to the DTO by the district and state authority. In one of the evaluation reports as many as 60 recommendations, to be implemented at different levels, have been given. Suggestions for carrying out studies before implementing recommendations have been made. The programmers at different levels have not even listed the variables responsible for shortfall in achievements, much less inducted serious operations research, selected and ploughed the result into the programme. The programme was evolved by operations research but its health has not been reviewed by that methodology.