KARACHI, June 2: The second batch of doctors belonging to different towns of the city completed their TB control programme training, based on the Direct Observation Treatment Strategy (DOTS) on Sunday.

The WHO-funded DOTS is being monitored by health department of the city government which will provide training and medicines to doctors, LHVs, paramedics, NGOs and even volunteers in areas where TB cases have been reported.

Out of the 18 towns to be covered under the programme, trainers have achieved their target in North Karachi, Korangi and Shah Faisal towns where complete training has been imparted to all the groups.

Deputy district officer Dr Suleman Otho has been made the focal person for Karachi who will supervise and take part in five-day training to different groups in all 18 towns of the city, while all the TB centres will be established in health units of city government.

Initially, two TB treatment centres and two diagnostic centres will be set up in each town which will later be readjusted as per the requirements.

According to EDO (health), Dr Ali Nawaz Shaikh, diagnostic centres will be equipped to test sputum of any patient for AFB (acid fast bacilli) test and it is under consideration to extend this service for malaria and other minor tests free of cost for citizens by the city government.

DOTS has been designed to ensure that patient is taking the medicines and anybody who is a social worker, neighbour or even family member will be given the responsibility to administer the medicine regularly to the patient without any gap.

The concerned person is provided a chart by the city government where every medicine monitored is noted and the readings on this chart can be counter checked by doctor or concerned official of the area.

According to a study anybody with TB infects 10-15 persons during the course of his illness. Symptoms of TB depend on where in the body the TB bacteria are growing. TB bacteria usually grow in the lungs.

TB in the lungs may cause a bad cough that lasts longer than two weeks, pain in the chest, coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs).

Other symptoms of TB are weakness or fatigue, weight loss, no appetite, fever with sweating at night and persistence growth of disease for two weeks despite curative measures.

TB patients usually clear the infection spreading stage after taking two months of medicines and DOTS has been designed so that the patient meet a health care worker every day or several times a week so that the worker administers medicines to the patient.

DOTS helps in several ways. The health care worker can help patient take medicine and complete treatment. The healthcare worker will make sure that the medicine is working as it should and this person will also watch for side effects and answer questions regarding TB.

It takes eight months of regular administering of medicines for a patient to recover from TB and it is more necessary to observe strict schedule of taking medicines during the last week.—PPI