Mitigating a drug-resistant TB epidemic in Papua New Guinea

A support team for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) patients on Daru Island in Papua New Guinea (PNG) aims to provide psycho-emotional support, facilitate adherence and improve the wellbeing of people undergoing treatment. This innovative model engages and empowers the affected community in Daru by training a team of five peer counsellors, called “TB-PALS” (People Affected by, Living with, or having Survived TB) who support patients through 20 months of treatment to cure.