PESHAWAR, Dec 31: The number of tuberculosis patients among Afghan refugees has increased over the past year because of sudden relocation of displaced people and health staff from camps, speakers said at a function on Friday.

"Last year, the number of TB patients in over 200 refugee camps was 3,000, but this year the number is over 3,500. The reason for this was the sudden repatriation of refugees, which caused relocation of refugees and health units to other camps," said Association for Community Development (ACD) Managing Director Dr Akmal Naveed at the certificate distribution ceremony of a two-day training programme for community workers on TB.

Afghan Refugees Commissioner Jamshedul Hasan, who was the chief guest, said: "We are in the process of negotiations with donor agencies to allocate more resources to health and education projects for refugees."

He said more than 550 doctors, technicians and nurses had been working at 52 health units for refugees in the NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He said about Rs30 million was spent on refugees' health and in future more funds would be allocated to improve healthcare services for them.

He said a programme would be launched to carry out rehabilitation projects in the areas which hosted refugees in Pakistan. "Our roads, environment, water, forest and other sectors suffered immensely due to refugees' presence, for the rehabilitation of which efforts are afoot," he added.

Dr Naveed of the ACD said: "About 63 per cent of the patients are women and the rest are men with their ages ranging between 15 years and 45 years. We have established 98 clinics and 48 laboratories for refugees," he said.

He said his organization provided free diagnostic and treatment services to refugees but about 50 per cent of them, being illiterate, avoided visiting the clinics before their disease became severe. He said the ACD had also trained doctors and health staff who were working in Afghanistan.

Dr Zabeehullah of the ACD said some of the refugees discontinued their treatment while returning to their country, which caused multi-drug resistant TB that proved fatal.

"All the TB patients should avail transfer-out cards from the clinics in the camps so that they could be given drugs back home," he said. Citing the World Health Organization's figures, he said that 70,000 to 80,000 TB patients were detected in Afghanistan every year.

He expressed concern over slashing of funds by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and said more donations were needed to cater to the needs of the refugees afflicted with TB.

Microbiologist Dr Ghulam Qadir Habibi said there was no standard system for the diagnosis and treatment of TB and international donors should pay more attention to developing hospitals in Afghanistan.

He said a room was shared by up to 10 people in Afghanistan and refugee camps, which was a major factor that contributed to the surge in the disease. Dr Abdul Muqeem Saadat said that TB was curable but patients had to get continuous treatment for eight months under the directly observed treatment shot course.