20000401

Joint efforts

stressed to fight

against TB

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Health Minister Abul Malik Kasi has called upon NGOs, private practitioners, educationists, students and all the citizens to make joint efforts to control world number one killer disease.

He said the government of Pakistan is fully aware of the tuberculosis problem and is committed to eradicating the fatal disease despite financial constraints.

He was addressing the seminar in connection with World TB Day organised by Pakistan TB control programme and WHO here on Friday.

He said government with renewed zeal and commitment in collaboration with WHO has revised National TB Control Programme and pledged to fight out world Number One deadly disease.

He maintained that the efforts made in the past have not shown good results. Lack of political commitment, poor functioning of TB programme, rapid population growth and multi drug resistance were the main reasons.

He added that the government inspite of financial constraints is firm to check this disease. The revised programme will be extended gradually to the whole population by the year 2005.

But government, he said alone will not succeed as indicated by the theme of the day "Forging New Partnership to Stop TB."

All groups of the community combined together will make a real difference to people suffering and dying from tuberculosis.

He said TB is curable which needs proper investigation and sincere efforts to control it. He said for this purpose DOTS is good programme based on directly observed treatment therapy which Short Course can achieve our target of 85 percent cure rate and 70 percent deduction.

In this regard Ministry of Health has prepared a PC-I which is under active consideration for approval; Dr Kasi said. For the support of this programme all the provinces have approved PC-I for current financial year.

He said "since I have taken over the charge of Federal Minister for Health I have become fully convinced and realise the importance to control the disease effectively especially when there is emergence of drug resistance and impact of HIV.

Political commitment at highest level on the occasion of World TB Day is reflected in the message of Chief Executive of Pakistan in which he said that government will take all the measures to help TB patients and has appealed to the people of Pakistan to joint hand with government to control this disease.

WHO country Representative Abi Jama said todate, Pakistan has been losing the war against Tuberculosis. She added around 1.5 million people suffering from TB with an addition of about 210,000 new cases every year.

Dr. Shagufta Nazneen Medical Superintendent TB Hospital said TB situation in Pakistan is serious and alarming as about 75 percent of infectious TB cases occur in between 15-49 years age group, which is economically the most productive group in population.

She said Pakistan ranks fifth amongst countries with high disease burden and contributes 43 percent of tuberculosis in EMRO region.ÑAPP