Tuberculosis in the Tibetan Refugee Population
With a reported 6.5% of all cases of disease in the settlements being TB
cases (this figure rises to 7.7% in the scattered communities, TB remains
one of the main health problems facing the Tibetan population in exile.
This in turn is reflected by the fact that 40 % of total expenditure of the
Central Tibetan Administration's (Government in exile) Department of Health
is on TB control.
The high number of people involved in itinerant sweater selling during the
winter months compounds the TB problem within the settlements. Those that
take part in this trade have been known to bring diseases caught on the
road (such as TB and cholera) back to their settlements. Furthermore, being
on the road is not conducive to the regular medication needed to combat
this disease.
The Central Tibetan Administration's, TB control programme is partly funded
by the US Congressand other organisations, however it remains largely
underfunded and ran a deficite of over 1million Rupees in 1992-93. One of
the main problems is the provision of isolated wards for the treatment of
TB which remains inadequate. However, some help in this is also forthcoming
from outside, for instance ApTibeT (Appropriate Technology for Tibetans)
has just completed a new 16 bed isolated TB Hospital in Mundgod Tibetan
camp , Karnataka.
