By using community health workers in stead of health professionals such as nurses and doctors at institutions, Daniel Datiko at Centre for International Health has shown:
The community based approach (Community DOTS) identifies about 70% of expected tuberculosis cases, compared with only 30 % when patients have to travel to health centres and hospitals
About 90% of the tuberculosis patients were cured when they received treatment in their local communities, compared with 80% at institutions
The community based approach reduced the costs of treatment by 60%.
Most of patients treated by Community DOTS are women. This is a significant improvement from the institutional based tuberculosis control.
The community based DOTS is an approach that improves access to treatment.
These ideas are now being implemented in Ethiopia. As a start it will be carried out in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State in Ethiopia.