KARACHI, May 5: Sindh has become the first province to achieve 100 per cent coverage of the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS), a WHO strategy to treat and control tuberculosis.

According to a statement, attributed to the National TB Control Programme Manager, Dr Karam Shah, and published in the WHO-Pakistan newsletter, all the five DOTS elements were found to be in place in all government health facilities of Sindh.

The five elements included: political commitment at all levels, uninterrupted supply of quality anti-TB drugs, diagnosis of the disease by direct sputum microscopy, elaborate reporting and recording and direct observation of treatment.

With regard to other provinces, Dr Shah was further cited to have said that 100 per cent coverage in the Punjab would be achieved by 2005 and in the NWFP and Balochistan by the end of this year.

Dr G. N. Kazi, WHO's Operations Officer for Sindh, commenting on the development said that while Sindh was the first province to attain the universal DOTS coverage, the same was achieved by the AJK and Northern Areas earlier.

Dr Amanullah Ansari, WHO's National Programme Officer for TB Control, mentioned that the provincial government had established more than 200 Diagnostic Centres for TB and that a directory had also been compiled for better communication and reporting system for the programme.

He also referred to the marked improvement in the cure rate of detected cases following the DOTS strategy in the province, adding that concerted efforts were under way for further improvement.

A significant proportion of drugs were being provided through the Global Drug Facility instituted by the WHO in association with the World Bank and other international agencies to make the drugs more accessible to patients and lessen the burden on public sector. - APP