KARACHI: Doctors told to be careful in prescribing TB medicines
KARACHI, Sept 14: Speakers at a seminar urged physicians and general practitioners to suggest correct prescription for Tuberculosis patients, as due to apathy of doctors they could be develop the Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) TB, which was hard to treat.
They also asked medical students that in their studies they should especially concentrate on prescription, pharmacology and drugs, as these aspects of treatment were crucial in determining a doctor's repute and providing relief to the patients.
Speaking at the seminar on Tuberculosis, held on Tuesday at the Dow University of Health Sciences by the Patient Welfare Association, Civil Hospital, DUHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Masood Hameed Khan said correct prescription was very important.
He asked the director of the Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases to conduct a course every month to improve prescription skills of physicians and general practitioners in Karachi. "TB could only be eradicated through joint efforts by all concerned, along with public," he added.
The WHO's Provincial Operation Officer for Sindh, Dr G N Kazi, said the Direct Observation Treatment Short Course (DOTS) was the best option for checking spread of TB bacteria, and many steps were being taken on the government side also to strengthen this programme.
He said that little achievements had been made so far in this regard, but constant efforts would definitely bring change. He called upon all segments of society to play their role in fight against the TB.
OICD Director Dr Ashraf Sadiq said the TB was not just a medical condition, but it had social and political dimensions as well. He observed that irregular treatment of TB patients meant a longer and chronic disease condition, along with an enhanced threat of transmission of the disease, whereas proper treatment might save many lives.
He said main hurdles in eradication of the TB in developing countries were poverty, lack of education, low socio-economic conditions, bad living environment and lack of political will and commitment on part of respective governments.
"Magnitude of the problem in Pakistan is very big, and TB was never controlled due to ignorance. 0.2 million persons develop TB annually and cure rate never exceeded 20-25 percent.
80,000 of them suffer in Sindh with 50 percent smear positive," he said, adding that non-compliance was a major hurdle in effective treatment of the TB, and most of the patients became drug resistant.
Talking about pulmonary TB in children, Prof Iqbal Memon of the Civil Hospital said that 5 to 15 per cent TB patients were children, and those under five were at high risk of the disease.
Dr Amanullah Ansari of the WHO, Prof Dr Salahuddin Afsar of the CHK, Dr Mohammad Husssain of the Liaquat National Hospital, Dr Saeed Qureshi of the CHK, Dr Shafiqueur Rehman, Dr Sarwar Siddiqui, Dr Fahmina Arif and Prof Zakiuddin Oonwala also spoke at the seminar. -PPI
