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Engaging Private Pharmacists in Tuberculosis Care through DIRECT Strategy: Implementation Experience from Chennai, India
Research Article - Volume: 1, Issue: 1, 2026 (September)
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Ramya Ananthakrishnan1, Nalini Krishnan1, Sujatha Palanisamy1, Sheela Auguesteen1, Shruthi Basavaradhya Sahukar1, Rajeswaran Thiagesan1*

1Resource Group for Education and Advocacy for Community Health (REACH), Chennai, India

*Correspondence to: Rajeswaran Thiagesan, Resource Group for Education and Advocacy for Community Health (REACH), Chennai, India, E-mail:

Received: August 05, 2026; Manuscript No: JGPH-26-9350; Editor Assigned: August 15, 2026; PreQc No: JPPC- JGPH-26-9350 (PQ); Reviewed: August 24, 2026; Revised: August 31, 2026; Manuscript No: JGPH-26-9350 (R); Published: September 28, 2026

ABSTRACT

Background

REACH implemented a systematic intervention to involve private pharmacists in tuberculosis (TB) control efforts through linkage with the public health system and the National TB program in Chennai, India.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of the programmatic data from January 2013 to December 2017 from the pharmacy engagement project in Chennai, India, was conducted. Private pharmacists were sensitized using the DIRECT strategy (Display-Identify-Refer-Educate-Counsel-Treatment support). Data on pharmacist participation, referrals, diagnostic yield, and treatment outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

We sensitized 2100 pharmacists and 634 actively referred PwSTB. It led to the referral of 2,918 people with TB symptoms, of whom 802 were already diagnosed with TB. Among the 2116, 1209 (57%) underwent further testing and 286 (24%) were diagnosed with TB, demonstrating a high yield of TB detection, and 99% of those diagnosed were initiated on TB treatment. Among them, 59% had bacteriological confirmation. Over 99% of those diagnosed were initiated on anti-TB treatment, and among the 588 people who had treatment outcomes, the treatment success rate was 86%. Over the five years, the number of engaged pharmacies increased from 135 in 2013 to 393 in 2017.

Implication and Conclusion

This model significantly enhanced TB case detection and improved treatment outcomes in large urban setting. This approach highlights the critical role pharmacies can play in public health initiatives. Similar models could be implemented in other high-burden settings to support global efforts to eliminate tuberculosis.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; Pharmacists; Pharmacy Engagement; Public-Private Mix Model


Citation: Ananthakrishnan R, Krishnan N, Palanisamy S, Auguesteen S, Sahukar SB, Thiagesan R (2026). Engaging Private Pharmacists in Tuberculosis Care through DIRECT Strategy: Implementation Experience from Chennai, India. J. Glob. Pub Hea. Healthc. Innov. Vol.1 Iss.1, September (2026), pp:22-28.
Copyright: © 2026 Ramya Ananthakrishnan, Nalini Krishnan, Sujatha Palanisamy, Sheela Auguesteen, Shruthi Basavaradhya Sahukar, Rajeswaran Thiagesan. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.