Tuberculosis (TB) is a curable disease yet it remains one of the leading causes of death in the Philippines.

Seventy-five (75) Filipinos die of TB every day, most of them in the prime of their life.  If untreated, a person with tuberculosis can transmit the TB bacteria to as many as 10 to 15 people during the course of one year, who, in turn, may develop the disease.

In response, Stanfilco and Dolefil have developed partnerships and implemented a TB-DOTS program to eradicate the illness and raise awareness.  Already in 2004 Stanfilco became the first company in the Mindanao region to implement a TB-DOTS program, shortly followed by Dolefil. 

The TB-DOTS program, which stands for Tuberculosis Directly Observed Short-course, has five components:

1. Political or Management commitment
2. TB diagnosis through sputum microscopy (x-ray is only a secondary diagnostic tool)
3. Availability of complete and quality anti-TB medications
4. Supervised treatment (a responsible person making sure that the patient takes the anti-TB medication everyday)
5. Recording and reporting of cases and outcomes

The TB-DOTS program complies with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards as a prescribed, cost-effective strategy to detect, treat and cure TB.  Since the program’s inception at Stanfilco, it has resulted in the successful treatment of 100 cases out of 400 referrals.

Prior to the formal TB-DOTS program, Dolefil had long been promoting a TB-free workplace.  Since 2003, Dolefil has been able to identify 70 employees inflicted with the dreaded disease, of which 39 have fully recovered and 31 are still undergoing treatment.

Thus far the TB-DOTS program has been implemented together with the following partners:

• Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a foundation of which Dole Philippines is a member company
• Philippine Tuberculosis Initiatives for the Private Sector, a project supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Philippine Department of Health and the municipal and rural health units
• Kasilak Foundation
• Mahintana Foundation, Inc.

To further secure the success of the program, all Stanfilco doctors and nurses from nine zones in Mindanao have been fully trained as DOTS providers as of January 2005.  Furthermore, over 1,000 farm clerks and other interested parties have been trained to become TB educators, in turn giving them the tools necessary to raise awareness and correct misconceptions about TB.  Since the program’s launch, over 3,000 people (employees, their families, and the surrounding communities) have been educated about tuberculosis.

Stanfilco’s and Dolefil’s commitment is further illustrated by the fact that they were among the first companies to comply with the newly signed Department of Labor and Employment guidelines on TB in the workplace. Furthermore Dole has refurbished an idle facility into a TB-DOTS facility in the municipality of Lantapan, Bukidnon. The new facility is now serving Dole associates as well as the barangays- or townships and local agricultural workers in the area.