Enhanced Private Sector Engagement for Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Reporting through an Intermediary Agency in Ho Chi Minh City
Under-detection and -reporting in the private sector constitute a major barrier in Viet Nam’s
fight to end tuberculosis (TB). Effective private-sector engagement requires innovative approaches.
We established an intermediary agency that incentivized private providers in two districts of Ho Chi
Minh City to refer persons with presumptive TB and share data of unreported TB treatment from July
2017 to March 2019. We subsidized chest x-ray screening and Xpert MTB/RIF testing, and supported
test logistics, recording, and reporting. Among 393 participating private providers, 32.1% (126/393)
referred at least one symptomatic person, and 3.6% (14/393) reported TB patients treated in their
practice. In total, the study identified 1203 people with TB through private provider engagement.
Of these, 7.6% (91/1203) were referred for treatment in government facilities.