From the frontlines: Homeless person won over alcoholism, survived floods and defeated TB

Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant (Citizen News Service)
Contd from previous issue
Like many other homeless people, Surendra and his wife were washed away in the swirling flood waters.
“All my belongings, including my medical docu- ments and medicines, were swept away in flood waters. Only the clothes I was wearing were left. I was carried far away by the flood waters and almost got drowned under a big pipe. It was only Madam who searched for me and found me lying unconscious on the bridge. She got my medical documents made again, arranged for my me- dicines, and got me food ration”, recalled Surendra.
Priyanka had searched for him frantically. Eventually she found him after a few days in a faraway place alongside the elevated road, unconscious and shivering, wrapped in a plastic sheet.
“I used to follow up Surendra. Initially I did it daily. But as his condition improved it was once a week. When I went to him on one of the days, I found the whole area inundated with flood waters. People said that many had been washed away. I wondered if Surendra too was one of them. After 3 days of hopeless searching, I found him in a very bad condition. But I was relieved that I had at least been able to find him. I was so relieved. We save the photo of our patients in our phones. When I was looking for him, I showed his photo to the many people lying on the road. One of them recognised his face, and pointing in a particular direction he said that ‘this man was lying there.’ When I reached there, I found him lying unconscious wrapped in a plastic sheet. I woke him up. He said he had no food to eat, his medicines were also washed away, he was unable to walk. I told him not to worry, as I was there to try my best to help him,” shared Priyanka.
She straightaway rushed to the TB clinic in Shastri Park hospital, met the doctor and told him about the predicament of her homeless patient. The doctor and other healthcare workers all came forward to help Surendra. They gave her his medicine supplies, new documents were made, and also a Poshan Potli (a bag full of food grains). Priyanka also sought help to arrange some clothes for him.
Priyanka’s yeo(wo)man service brought Surendra back to life : Surendra is hugely obliged to Priyanka: “I owe my life to Madam (Priyanka). She has done a lot for me. She got all my tests done. She would collect the medicines for me from the health centre, as I was too weak to stand in the queue for long. Her unflinching support gave me courage. I started regaining my confidence and determination to get well. I would take my medicines regularly on time. On her insistence I even left alcohol. This took immense efforts, but once I left it, I never went back. Now I feel much better. And the entire credit goes to Madam, who gave me a new lease of life. If I had not met her, I would have died, even before starting the treatment. It was only due to her continuous support that I could complete my 6 months long treatment and defeat TB”.
He added: “I do feel giddy at times. I also cough sometimes, especially in the mornings. Perhaps that is due to my habit of smoking bidis. My body aches if I walk for long or lift heavy load. Ragpicking is hard work. But it is my only source of income, so I cannot leave it,” added Surendra, who is back to his arduous job of ragpicking.
Even after completing the treatment, when a need so arises, Surendra calls Priyanka to get nutritional support and receives it as soon as possible.
Though same day test and treat became a reality for Surendra, it happened perhaps a year or more too late. He began his treatment for drug-sensitive TB of the lungs in August 2023. He completed his treatment in Feb 2024. Early TB diagnosis remains vital if we are to stop the spread of infection, reduce human suffering and eventually end TB.
TB survivor champions the fight against TB : Surendra has become a TB advocate in his locality and spreads awareness on TB in the community. He tells them to contact Priyanka in case of any TB symptoms. He shared Priyanka’s phone with a presumptive TB patient who contacted her. She got his X-ray done and sputum tested. He too tested positive and is now on treatment. Surendra’s message for everyone is that “if you want to get well, you must quit alcohol. And if you have symptoms like prolonged cough, fever, or weight loss, please get screened for TB. All TB patients should take their medicines on time as advised by the doctor, eat properly, and complete their treatment. The support of Madam and others like her (community health workers) or friend is essential for people like me, to share our problems, get help, and defeat TB.”
Priyanka is very happy that she was able to save the life of Surendra who had lost all hope. Her words echo a lot of empathy for the homeless and other people who are forced to live in dehumanising conditions: “Some people may not have anyone to care for them. They do not know how to navigate the health system. A little bit of help from us will go a long way in mitigating their problems. I want all TB patients to take their medicines on time and complete their treatment - not leave it midway - and take a nutritious diet. Then we will be able to defeat TB. TB will be vanquished, and we will win the battle against TB”.
Reaching the unreached to stop missing TB cases : The likes of Priyanka are engaged in the daunting task of finding TB in the unreached populations –referred to as the key and vulnerable populations, such as, homeless, migrants, slum dwellers, daily wage earners- and connecting them with the healthcare system. As per the India TB Report 2024, key and vulnerable populations are those with heightened exposure to TB bacilli, constrained access to health services on account of socio-economic determinants of health, or an elevated risk of TB due to compromised immune function. Priyanka’s work at Humana People to People India is part of LEAD (Leveraging, Engaging and Advocating to Disrupt TB Transmission) project, supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and JSI Research and Training Institute (JSI), in close coordination with Indian Govt's National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).