In the Vinnytsia region, in the city of Bershad, a social worker and a family doctor work closely with NGO "Labor and Health Social Initiatives" (LHSI) in the project "You should know about tuberculosis".
Invitations to undergo a medical examination with a clear address were posted on bulletin boards near the hospital and the social services center. A social worker and a doctor conducted screening questionnaires to identify people in need of a tuberculosis examination, both with those internally displaced families who applied to the social services center to establish the status of children of war, and with groups of the "Self-Help Plus" course conducted by the center's psychologist.
Most people willingly consented because they were responsible for their own health and the health of their children. After the screening, people were referred to a health care provider and, if necessary, underwent a medical examination.
But there were also families who were reluctant to make contact. Social and medical workers worked together to convince them of the need for screening and examination to determine their health status and that of their children.
In particular, an internally displaced family from the Kharkiv region was identified, which also found itself in difficult life circumstances, and the parents also systematically consumed alcohol. After the first meeting at the social services center, the man underwent a questionnaire, during which poor health, cough, and high fever were recorded. All family members underwent screening and consented to examination (X-ray, sputum examination using the GeneXpert method). After the examination, Oleksandr was diagnosed with tuberculosis and prescribed treatment. But the next day, the man died while swimming in a reservoir while intoxicated. His wife and children were not found to have tuberculosis. The family was provided with motivational kits. After the husband's death, the wife continued to consume alcohol and led a vagrant lifestyle, left the children unattended and did not engage in their upbringing.
The children began to spend a lot of time outside, drink energy drinks and smoke e-cigarettes. Sometimes they were caught committing petty thefts. Therefore, by decision of the children's rights protection commission, they were sent to a rehabilitation facility.
Since the mother led an asocial lifestyle, closely communicating with homeless people and persons who had recently been released from prison, she was offered to undergo a tuberculosis examination. Unfortunately, it was not possible to determine the woman's place of residence, as she refuses to communicate with social service providers: she regularly changes her place of residence, does not answer phone calls and SMS messages.
Recently it became known that the woman returned to her original place of residence. After returning, Kateryna contacted the project workers and, at their insistent request, promised to undergo a second examination at her place of residence. After some time, when communicating with her distant relative, it turned out that the woman had indeed undergone an examination with a negative result.
It is gratifying that the children are under medical and social care, and have the necessary support and assistance there.
And medical and social workers continue to work with the most vulnerable categories of the population and form in them the desire to undergo preventive examinations on time and take a responsible attitude towards their health and the health of their families.
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The project "You Should Know About Tuberculosis" is implemented by the NGO "Social Initiatives for Occupational Health and Safety" (LHSI) with a grant from The Global Fund through Alliance for Public Health Alliance for Public Health
