ISLAMABAD: Though two years ago, a 10-year-plan had been prepared to reduce the tuberculosis cases in the country by 70pc by the year 2025, members of a parliamentary committee on Friday were shocked to know that it was just a pipe dream.

The Senate Subcommittee on National Health Services (NHS) was informed that not even one out of the 95 mobile TB diagnosis vans was operational in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Balochistan because of security reasons.

After a briefing to the committee by officials from the National Tuberculosis Programme, Senator Dr Ashok Kumar of the National Party said it was unfortunate that there was not a single TB mobile unit or hospital in Balochistan. “Even in general hospitals of Balochistan there are no doctors and staff to treat the patients. I have learnt that at present an Indian medicine is being used for the treatment of TB but it is not affective. On the other hand, the Drug Regularity Authority of Pakistan (Drap) has approved the drug,” he said.

Under the plan, TB cases were to be reduced by 70pc across the country by 2025, Senate body informed

He suggested that the government should take notice of the situation and provide effective medicines across the country to eradicate the disease.

Committee Chairman Dr Ghous Mohammad Khan Niazi recommended sending at least three to five mobile vans to Balochistan.

Earlier, Dr Aurangzeb from the NTP said 510,000 estimated cases had been reported in 2016 out of which 366,061 were treated with the success rate of 93pc.

“The programme gets $144 million from the Global Fund which is distributed among public and private sector after consultations at the country coordination mechanism meetings.” He said $88 million were given to the NTP under the federal ministry, $45 million to the Indus Hospital Karachi and $15 million to the Mercy Corps.”

The committee was told that the NTP had been working since 2000 and managing the TB prevention and implementation activities carried out by provinces.

Dr Aurangzeb said though 135 medical units were operating in Balochistan, most of the doctors were concentrated in big cities. Despite repeated requests, he added, the Indus Hospital refused to operate its mobile vans in Balochistan due to security concerns.

The committee asked the joint secretary health ministry to write to the health secretary Balochistan as well as to the hospital to immediately send mobile vans to the province.

It may be noted that a person can transfer the TB virus to over 100 people by breathing, coughing and sneezing.

There are two billion people all over the world who have the TB virus in their bodies which can become activated anytime. Pakistan is ranked fifth in terms of the number of TB patients in the world.

Around Rs7,000 are spent on the six-month treatment of a patient but if the patient does not take the medicine regularly or stops it they become multiple drug resistant (MDR). A MDR TB patient cannot be treated with the routine medicine because the virus becomes immune. Medicines worth Rs500,000 and two years are required for the treatment of an MRD TB patient.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017