GUJRAT, July 5: The Punjab government with the financial assistance of Japan has initiated a special programme to eradicate tuberculosis from Gujrat while the patients will be given free medical treatment for eight months.

This was stated by EDO (Health) Dr Talat Iqbal while presiding over a meeting at his office here on Monday. Chief advisor Dr Meagi of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Manager of National Programme to Control TB Dr Karam Shah and lady doctors Sabira Tahseen and Zarfashan Tahir of National Reference Laboratory for TB Control were also present on the occasion.

The EDO said that the programme would only be launched in four districts of the province - Gujrat, Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore. He said the credit went to district Nazim Chaudhry Shafaat Hussain who had requested the chief minister to first initiate it in Gujrat.

He said that all relevant medicines had been provided to government hospitals, rural health centres and basic health units while skilled technical staff had been deployed for the purpose.

A patient with TB symptoms should immediately visit the nearest hospital and if the disease had been diagnosed, then medicines would be given to him free of cost. He urged the area people to help the health staff to make the campaign a success.

Meanwhile, additional director (Health) Dr Azhar Masood Bhatti told a meeting at Nursing School that the Gujrat district had been declared a free polio zone for the last seven months.

He said that around 18 polio cases were reported from various parts of the province this year. He said a fresh polio eradication campaign would commence from July 13 throughout the Punjab. DHO Dr Inamul Haq also spoke on the occasion.