The mandate of the scheme entitled ‘Directly Observed Treatment, Short- Course (DOTS)’ launched by WHO is to ensure that

The 'Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course' (DOTS) is the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended strategy for tuberculosis (TB) control [6]. Its primary mandate is to ensure that patients adhere to and complete their prescribed course of drugs [4]. Adherence is critical because incomplete treatment can lead to disease progression, transmission to others, and the development of drug-resistant TB strains. Under the DOTS framework, a health worker or trained person directly observes the patient swallowing their medication to ensure the treatment is taken in the right doses and for the correct duration [7]. This supportive mechanism shifts the responsibility of treatment completion from the patient to the health system, addressing the fact that approximately one-third of patients fail to adhere to self-administered regimens [2].

Sources

1. [5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11129903/
2. [6] https://www.cdc.gov/tb/webcourses/TB101/page16489.html
3. [1] https://www.nptccd.health.gov.lk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DOTS-English.pdf
4. [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directly_observed_treatment,_short-course
5. [7] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4027301/
6. [2] https://www.icmr.gov.in/icmrobject/custom_data/pdf/icmr-bulletins/bumar2001.pdf