KARACHI: Private sector urged to help govt fight TB
KARACHI, Oct 24: The National TB Control Programme, in collaboration with its provincial counterparts, has chalked out an extensive training-cum-drugs compliance and monitoring strategy to reduce the incidence of TB by at least half in the four provinces by 2010.
Under the scheme, efforts are under way to seek maximum possible help from the private sector, particularly of NGOs, for timely detection and strict compliance with the drug regimen under the Directly Observed Therapy Short Course (DOTS) besides measures to combat any possibility of drug resistance.
Keeping in view the implementation of the strategy of partnership between the public and private sectors in Sindh, a workshop was held here on Wednesday under the joint auspices of the TB Control Programme and the Pakistan Association for Social Development, Islamabad, with the support of the Department for International Development, UK.
The programme was attended by the government authorities concerned and representatives of various NGOs involved in healthcare activities, particularly in Karachi and its suburbs. They extensively discussed the modes to be adopted in the prevailing situation.
It was observed that lack of knowledge on the part of doctors had emerged to be the single most common factor for drug resistance, so a uniform guideline chart prepared by the TB Control programme, in close consultation with the Pakistan Chest Society and other organizations, should be published, with the assistance of the private sector, and distributed free of cost among general practitioners across the province.
Since the Sindh government has already approved a Rs95 million TB control programme and sufficient stock of drugs are available, it was decided that some of the NGOs would undertake, initially on a model basis, a programme identifying patients, supplying them with drugs and also ensuring strict compliance with the drug regimen.
Since general practitioners deal with most of the patients in urban areas, they would be trained for proper diagnosis of TB cases. They may be provided with drugs under the TB Control Programme.
Identification of private labs which may be willing to offer sputum test facilities at standard rates was also proposed, as all localities may not have this facility in the public sector.
Training facilities of healthcare providers associated with government institutions, including those belonging to city governments, were also discussed.
Speaking at the workshop, the Sindh secretary health said TB control posed an enormous challenge, and urged commitment by the government, private medical practitioners, NGOs and the community.
He said at least one per cent of the total population was afflicted with the disease as, according to WHO estimates, about 177 per 100,000 population was the current incidence rate.
With reference to prevalence of TB in Sindh, he said the TB Control Programme, formally launched by the Sindh governor on October 9, 2000, was aimed to be carried out forging a grand alliance of all those concerned to make joint efforts to combat the problem.
He said the strategy had met with considerable success in the province as 31 per cent DOTS coverage rate had been achieved in a short period of time. The secretary health, however, stressed for proper monitoring of all those areas already covered, and to be covered in seven districts where the programme was yet to begin.
The Director-General of Sindh Health Services, Dr Fateh Mohammed Khan, in his presentation, hoped that 70 per cent DOTS coverage would be achieved by 2002. He, however, regretted that much time was taken in actually adopting the DOTS programme.—APP
