A medico-social study was conducted at the New Delhi TB Center to determine the factors involved in late diagnosis. A total of 400 new patients attending the Center from three different territories, were interviewed for information on the duration of symptoms and remedial action taken by them before reporting at the Center. The resulting data were then correlated with the clinical and bacteriological status of each patient to ascertain the consequences of late diagnosis for the patient. The results, based entirely on patients' narrations, indicated that patients' late visit to the Center was because of late diagnosis or referral. A concerted effort is necessary to promote awareness of TB among the general public and to ensure that GPs and General Health Institutions suspect TB early and diagnose or make referrals early.

A study was conducted at the NDTC to study 450 patients who included 225 patients who were non-cooperative in treatment. The patients were interviewed by six students from the Delhi School of Social Work and data on the patients’ socio-economic background, the period of treatment until they became irregular (those who failed to visit the clinic twice or more after repeated attempts at retrieval) or non-cooperative, their diagnosis, status at the time of their irregularity or non-cooperation, and the patients’ reasons for irregularity or non-cooperation, were filled in uniform schedules. The results and the major reasons for the patients’ irregularity and leaving treatment are presented. Measures to minimise patients’ default in treatment are recommended. Some supplementary remarks and suggestions on this study are presented by S.P. Pamra in the report on the 20th National Conference of TB and Chest Diseases Workers, Ahmedabad, India, Feb. 1965, p. 225-230.