LAHORE, July 8: The Punjab government has acquired medicines worth Rs1 billion for distribution among TB patients in small districts of the province.

Punjab health minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed made this statement at a seminar on TB organized at Alhamra by the Dil Bibi Memorial Hospital, a project of the Help Organization.

Saying that TB was curable, he added that an awareness campaign would be launched about the disease and its prevention and cure.

The minister said chest specialists at the DHQ and designated medical officers in tehsil headquarters hospitals would implement the Directly Observed Treatment System (DOTS).

He said the medical superintendent concerned would provide administrative support like ensuring availability of drugs and other supplies.

He said that TB and other chest diseases were being treated at all primary and secondary healthcare facilities that were over 3,000 in number. In addition, he said the province had 25 TB clinics, nine control centres and one sanatorium.

The minister said the DOTS programme had so far been implemented in eight districts of the province. He claimed that the programme now fully covered Gujranwala, Sialkot and Rawalpindi districts and had also been launched in DG Khan, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar, Chakwal and Vehari.

He asked philanthropists and NGOs to come forward and join hands with the government for setting up hospitals, clinics, sanatoriums and dispensaries especially in rural areas.

Justice Nasim Hasan Shah (retired), Humaira Younas, Dr Javed Iqbal Chaudhry, Dr Hasan Raza and Advocate Yasmin Bhatti also spoke on the occasion.