HYDERABAD, Nov 6: MPA Pir Amjad Hussain Jilani has said that people are not getting their children vaccinated against tuberculosis due to unawareness about the disease, and stressed the need for holding seminars, workshops and conventions in the rural areas to make people health-conscious.

Speaking at a convention for TB control jointly organised by the district health department, TB Control Programme and Asia Foundation at the Sindhi Language Authority on Thursday, Mr Jilani urged participatory approach and put lady health visitors (LHVs) in the field to ensure care and cure facilities for TB patients.

He said that he and the district government would recommend to the government one additional increment for the LHVs as an incentive for working for the eradication of TB from society.

Mr Jilani, who is also chairman of the Hyderabad District Development Committee, said that without public support no people-oriented programme could succeed as such the management concerned should evolve effective strategy to involve people in the programmes.

He emphasised trust-building measures between masses, government health organisations and medical community to be able to earn public support. The only way to earn people’s trust was to serve the ailing humanity with missionary spirit rather than taking it as official duty, he added.

Hyderabad DCO Ali Ahmed said that the district government had already implemented a strategy for the elimination of TB, polio, hepatitis B and C and other deadly diseases from the district and invited other organisations to supplement its efforts in this regard.

He said that the district government was establishing a modern and well-equipped Trauma Centre to ensure speedy medical aid to the injured.

Director-General of Health Services Ghulam Nabi Memon said that TB had been declared as global emergency and Pakistan was one of the countries where the ratio of TB patients had increased.

He said that TB and other diseases were a challenge not only for the medical community but also for the society and added that it must be faced through joint efforts.

EDO of health Dr Bux Ali Pitafi said that the poor segment of society was the most vulnerable and at greater risk and stressed the concerned organisations in public and private sectors to organise informative seminars in the backward areas or invite poor and deprived people of the areas as audience to listen and learn from the experts and opinion leaders.

The district coordinator of TB Control Dr Ayoub Unnar said that the district health management was working in collaboration with three other NGOs against the disease. Out of 1,745 registered patients, 1,140 had been treated from January to September 2008, he added.

Dr Nazir Ahmed Shaikh of the World Health Organisation said that at present 1.70 billion TB patients had been reported around the world to which 200,000 to 300,000 patients were added annually. Dr Nazar Bhaghat sought public support for making TB Control Programme a grand success.

Later, Mr Jilani presented shields to doctors and workers of NGOs in recognition of their services for eradication of TB from the society.