Tuberculosis management in a rural community -- factors in failure

An investigation was carried out during 1978 to establish the proportion of tuberculosis patients who had a relapse or whose treatment had failed and who presented together with new patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis at a regional hospital. Reasons for the high number of previously treated patients found in this study (35.8%) are discussed, and include the inadequate experience of the health team in tuberculosis, non-compliance of patients and geographical factors. The hospital-centered comprehensive health scheme seems to offer advantages over the district surgeon scheme in the organization of an adequate tuberculosis programme in a country area.