To further enhance knowledge exchange amongst healthcare professionals on effective TB diagnostic practices, BD (Becton, Dickinson, and Company) has recently launched the ‘Tuberculosis (TB) Guardianship Programme’. The TB Guardianship Programme was launched online by Dr Nishant Kumar,  Central TB Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and saw attendance from over 1,000 microbiologists and pulmonologists from various regions across India.

A tri-partite educational series; in collaboration with several partners, including the Indian Chest Society (ICS), the Central TB Division (CTD), International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) , Corporate TB Pledge and  USAID, the programme aims to improve TB diagnosis and Drug Susceptibility testing.

The TB Guardianship Programme, through this 3 part webinar series will provide a platform for discussion and debate on key topics like – Understanding the Dynamic landscape of diagnosing and managing Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB); Emphasising the pivotal role of liquid culture and the efficacious management of tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) pivots on the expeditious diagnosis & precision in treating resistant infections amongst others.

At the conclusion of each series, participants will receive certificates as a token of their active participation. Additionally, on-ground activities are planned at select Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNCTP) sites.

BD has a long history in TB diagnostics, having launched the first automated liquid culture system, the BD BACTEC™ MGIT™ Automated Mycobacterial Detection System for comprehensive testing for TB, drug susceptibility and monitoring patients' response to treatment. The BD MAX™ MDR-TB Assay complements this technology enabling clinicians to rapidly test for TB and multidrug resistance as a first-line test and then use the BD BACTEC™ MGIT™ System for broader drug susceptibility testing and patient monitoring.