Médecins Sans Frontières - Namrata, a community health worker raising awareness about tuberculosis (INT)

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSB190656

Date taken / Date Recorded 03/10/2023 12:00 AM

Country India

Commissioning section MSF-INDIA

Photographer / videographer / producer Garvit Nangia

Copyright Garvit Nangia/MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) Advertising Campaign, MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications

Formal Consent Copy available yes

Editor's rating ★★★★★★★ (A)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 5m27s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 635.87 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist 00:00 – 00:07 – Namrata, Community Health Worker, DR-TB project, Mumbai, India – “All is well. In every situation, all is well. Say all is well. Everything will be all right.”

00:12 - 00:28 – Voiceover – All is well. Be positive and think right. These words are easier said than done. Yet here’s Namrata, MSF’s community health worker, who embodies a positive spirit while sensitising the community on TB health practices.

00:29 – 01:23 - Namrata, Community Health Worker, DR-TB project, Mumbai, India – We aim to ease patients' concern about TB by initiating dialogue with them. Through conversations, we encourage them to discover methods for managing TB, enabling them to devise their own solutions. One of the patients once said, “TB is present in the air, it is air bacteria.” Then we ask them, "If you are concerned that airborne bacteria are present, can you simply stop breathing? Or can you suggest something else?" Then they try to understand that this wasn’t the right question. We can’t live without breathing air. But if it’s an air bacteria, then what else can we do? Then we explain them that whenever we go to a crowded place, we should wear a mask. We should not cough in the open, we should not sneeze in the open. These germs spread through the air from one person to another. That’s why we call it air bacteria, but that doesn’t mean we can’t breathe air. We just have to take the right precautions.

01:24 – 01:38 – Voiceover - While interacting with the community, Namrata ensures that she gives a detailed picture about TB. She knows that the stigma is one of the biggest hindrance for a recovering patient, particularly, when it comes from one's own family.

01:39 – 01:52 - Namrata, Community Health Worker, DR-TB project, Mumbai, India – One should never discriminate against a patient. Instead, it's crucial to provide support to the patient. You should encourage them to adhere to the medications, ensuring they complete their treatment and recover effectively from the illness.

01:57 – 02:02 – Text – Location – MUMBAI

02:03 – 03:02 - Namrata, Community Health Worker, DR-TB project, Mumbai, India – Once, there was this patient, who used to live with her four kids and her husband. When we received her ‘patient card’, we went to her house. She told us, “Because of TB, my husband is keeping our children away from me. Even my infant, who requires breast milk is being kept apart.” I listened patiently to all her concerns. Then I spoke to her husband, "If she consistently wears a mask, the disease won't spread to anyone. Our battle is against the illness, not the patient. She needs your affection and support. If you can provide encouragement and take care of her, she'll recover much faster." Then later for contract tracing, we went for a follow-up session to her house again. Her husband told us, “Madam, as you explained, I live with her happily. I support her in her recovery. Thank you for educating us.” The lady who had TB, she too was very happy. She thanked me and asked if she can call her for further information? I said, "I am here for you."

03:03 – 03:13 – Voiceover - Namrata’s empathy stems from her own experience as a TB patient. Her recovery wasn't easy, but with the support from her family, it became possible.

03:14 – 03:50 - Namrata, Community Health Worker, DR-TB project, Mumbai, India – No matter how much my mother-in-law scolded me, I would always overlook it because even my own mother couldn't do as much. The way my mother used to serve me food on a plate and feed me, I felt the same with my mother-in-law. She would prepare meals for me, sit beside me, and serve me. She would say, " Eat well so that you can recover properly. Otherwise, you won’t. If you want to get better, you need to eat well. To be able to take care of your children, you need to eat well. Focus on recovering and returning to your job." I used to feel very motivated. I used to feel... that she is so caring towards me. If someone is doing so much for you... Only if a person loves you, one can do as much as my mother-in-law used to do.

03:53 – 04:23 - Voiceover - It was because of this support that she recovered and became a peer educator. In 2019, she started conducting support group meetings for other TB patients, educating them about nutrition and side effects based on her own experience. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, she remained at the forefront, venturing into communities to offer assistance. Her unwavering dedication is fueled by her genuine desire to aid those in distress.

04:24 – 04:57 - Namrata, Community Health Worker, DR-TB project, Mumbai, India – I feel so much better that we have got someone out of this disease. It is such an overwhelming feeling inside. I am unable to explain that joyful feeling or express that in front of you. I feel that I am doing great social work. I am helping someone in need. There’s a patient in distress, who has a disease, and I am helping them to come out of that. There’s a different kind of peace in this. We are able to help someone. That happiness, is incomparable to anything. This happiness is special.

04:58 – 05:08 - Voiceover - Community health workers like Namrata are true examples of people who are always willing to give back to the community and inspire TB patients to lead a healthy life.

05:09 – 05:13 – Text – The Humanitarian

05:14 – 05:25 – Text – MSF works to treat TB internationally, including improved diagnostic equipment, employing specialized medical staff to treat the TB epidemic, advocating and investing in R&D understandable for shorter regimens, and ensuring equitable access to drugs. In 2022, 17,800 people started their TB treatment as part of MSF programmes and 2,590 people began their treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). In India, MSF provides free, comprehensive and individualized treatment to people with severe forms of DR-TB at its independent clinic in Mumbai. Our care is survivor-centered, and non-stigmatising.

05:26 – 05:27 – End with MSF logo and Humanity heals logo with a disclaimer at bottom – “Illustrations in this video were generated using prompts through Midjourney (AI software) and were edited further.”