The Myanmar Health Assistant Association (MHAA), supported by 3MDG, has been implementing tuberculosis (TB) active case finding activities in 16 townships in Rakhine, Bago and Sagaing since 2014.

The project aims to expand active TB case-finding activities and to raise awareness about TB within rural communities. MHAA also conducts health education sessions and mobilization campaigns through community facilitators and trained volunteers.

What do you, and your organization, do?

I volunteer for MHAA.  They are an organization made up of health assistants who provide primary healthcare and diagnose and treat TB and malaria. The project mainly recruits and trains volunteers who raise awareness of TB in the community and refer people with symptoms to the nearest TB team at township health department. MHAA are also able to facilitate the travel allowance for suspected and confirmed cases of TB.

My job is to identify suspected TB patients through home visits to Kan Taw and Kan Phyar villages. If I find a person that might have TB, it is important to share the symptoms of TB with their whole family. I advise the person to visit the mobile team or the hospital to confirm the diagnosis with a chest x-ray and sputum test.

The next step is to report any suspected cases to our community facilitator who monitors and supervises the project activities. During the first week of treatment, I visit the patients’ houses every day. I check their health, drug side effects, and make sure they take their medicine regularly. If they need support, I try to help.

What lead you to this role?

I have always wanted to help people, even before working as a volunteer. That’s why I decided to join the auxiliary midwife training course in Myinmu hospital. After the training, the midwife told me that MHAA was recruiting the volunteers for our village. It sounded really interesting, so I applied for the job.

I started working as a volunteer in October 2015. Through this work, I can help people improve their knowledge about TB and can support them physically and emotionally. By doing the house visits, I can find people who might have TB and help them to receive the treatment before they are very sick or infect other people. I explain to them that TB is completely curable and that medicine and treatment are free-of-charge. I help them to not be scared of TB.

What motivates you?

Most of the people from my village were frightened of TB before. If someone had TB in the village, no one wanted to go that patient’s house. They knew that TB could spread through the air, so it was very scary.

Before I worked as a volunteer with MHAA, I didn’t know much about TB either. But after receiving the training, I knew that people didn’t have to be afraid anymore because we can cure this disease. I am really happy to be able to share this knowledge - not only to my village, but to everyone around me! Now the people from my village know more about TB and they are no longer afraid.

What challenges do you face in your work?

In the beginning, it was hard to convince the people to trust in me. When people found out they had TB, they were worried and scared. That meant that some patients refused to take their treatment, or they didn’t understand how important it was to take the treatment regularly to avoid drug-resistant forms of the disease.

Some people are concerned about the discrimination they can face from other people or loss of income if they cannot work during treatment. I try to explain that TB is curable, and that treatment is free – but people still worry.

I remember one case, a young boy who was only seven years old. He had been coughing for a long time, but his family didn’t think he could have TB, so they didn’t have him checked. I went to their house and suggested that he had his sputum tested at the hospital.

When they received the results, and he was positive for TB, they were shocked. During his treatment, I went to their home every day to supervise their son to take his medicine regularly and correctly. Now, he is completely cured and lives a healthy life again!

What is the best part of your job?

I really love my job. The working hours are flexible so I can make more money by sewing clothes in my spare time. I am really proud that I can raise awareness about TB through my work. I will keep working as a volunteer and helping people in the future.