Each morning begins with a TB screening
Lab technician Padum Chutia arrives at Kakjan T Estate Central Hospital on her motorcycle every morning around 7 am. A long line of tea garden workers waited for him until he arrived. Many people cover their mouths with gomocha while waiting for their turn to take a sputum sample for tuberculosis testing.
Among them was “Binu Tati” (name changed to protect her identity), a tea plantation worker, who was suffering from weight loss, loss of appetite, evening fever and cough with bleeding – typical symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis. After a sputum test, he was diagnosed with drug-susceptible tuberculosis.
According to the National Tuberculosis Treatment Protocol, the doctor started her on an intensive phase treatment with isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol (HRZE) for 56 days. After successfully completing this initial phase and seeing physical improvement, she was moved to the next phase, where she was given isoniazid, rifampicin and ethambutol (HRE) as prescribed by her physician.
After the treatment, Binu fully recovered. Currently he is healthy and living a normal life with his family.
A tea plantation with thousands of workers
Kakjan Tea Estate is one of the largest tea estates owned by Amalgamated Plantations Private Limited (APPL), a subsidiary of the Tata Group.
Amalgamated Plantations is the second largest producer of tea in India. The company produces CTC, orthodox, green and organic tea and produces about 42 million kg of tea annually from 21 tea gardens in Assam and four gardens in Doars, West Bengal. Each garden has its own tea factory.
The company has approximately 31,000 employees. Apart from direct employment, it provides temporary and indirect livelihood opportunities and also has partnerships with a large number of small tea growers for the procurement of raw tea leaves.
Inside Central Hospital
To understand how tuberculosis is being controlled in plantations We visited the Central Hospital in Kakjan Tea Estate.
Senior Medical Officer Dr Lopa Das said the incidence of tuberculosis was very high 15-20 years ago but due to continuous awareness campaigns it has come down significantly. “We organize awareness camps on garden lines every 12 to 17 days,” he said. Bagan Lines are residential labor colonies within tea plantations where many indigenous workers live.
Every year, on World TB Day (March 24), the hospital invites tea garden workers and TB survivors to share their experiences and spread awareness.
Monitoring of each patient
The hospital has a dedicated TrueNat molecular testing facility for rapid diagnosis of TB. Lab technician Padum Chutia has provided us with TB records of Kakjan Division which are preserved for last four years.
Tuberculosis patient records (2022-23).
| months | current year | previous year |
|---|---|---|
| April | 1 | 0 |
| May’ | 1 | 0 |
| June | 2 | 0 |
| July | 0 | 1 |
| August | 2 | 3 |
| September | 0 | 2 |
| October | 0 | 3 |
| November | 8 | 0 |
| December | 8 | 0 |
| January | 4 | 0 |
| February | 5 | 0 |
| march | 2 | 0 |
| total | 33 | 9 |
Tuberculosis patient records (2023-24).
| months | current year | previous year |
|---|---|---|
| April | 0 | 1 |
| May’ | 0 | 1 |
| June | 1 | 2 |
| July | 1 | 0 |
| August | 0 | 2 |
| September | 1 | 0 |
| October | 0 | 0 |
| November | 1 | 8 |
| December | 0 | 8 |
| January | 1 | 4 |
| February | 1 | 5 |
| march | 1 | 2 |
| total | 7 | 33 |
Tuberculosis patient records (2024-25).
| months | current year | previous year |
|---|---|---|
| April | 4 | 0 |
| May’ | 4 | 0 |
| June | 1 | 1 |
| July | 1 | 1 |
| August | 1 | 0 |
| September | 1 | 1 |
| October | 0 | 0 |
| November | 1 | 1 |
| December | 0 | 0 |
| January | 2 | 1 |
| February | 1 | 1 |
| march | 6 | 1 |
| total | 22 | 7 |
Tuberculosis patient records (2025-26).
| months | current year | previous year |
|---|---|---|
| April | 1 | 4 |
| May’ | 3 | 4 |
| June | 1 | 1 |
| July | 1 | 1 |
| August | 0 | 1 |
| September | 1 | 1 |
| October | 2 | 0 |
| November | 2 | 1 |
| December | 0 | 0 |
| January | 0 | 2 |
| February | 1 | 1 |
| march | 0 | 6 |
| total | 12 | 22 |
Tuberculosis patient records (2026-27).
| months | current year | previous year |
|---|---|---|
| April | 1 | 1 |
| May’ | 0 | 3 |
| June | 0 | 1 |
| July | – | 1 |
| August | – | 0 |
| September | – | 1 |
| October | – | 2 |
| November | – | 2 |
| December | – | 0 |
| January | – | 0 |
| February | – | 1 |
| march | – | 0 |
| Total (April-June) | 1 | 5 |
| Previous year’s total | – | 12 |
Note: Data for 2026-27 is only available up to June, so ‘current year’ totals are only up to April-June.
Earlier, the old line of Kakjan tea estate was considered as a TB hotspot. Hospital authorities said the situation has improved significantly due to frequent visits, awareness campaigns, early detection and treatment.
Early detection is the greatest tool
Health workers encourage immediate sputum testing if there is a persistent cough, weight loss, fever, night sweats or bloody cough for more than two weeks. A combination of regular field visits, community awareness, testing and continuous treatment has strengthened the TB control system in Kakjan Division of Kakjan Tea Estate.
(This report was published under the Rich Media Fellowship 2025-26.)
