LANDI KOTAL, July 8: The health authorities in the Khyber Agency have launched a tuberculosis (TB) control programme at the agency headquarter hospital, here.

Under the directly observed short course treatment, the TB patients will be provided medicines free of cost for eight months. Five centres at Loe Shalman, Kem Shalman, Karamna, Sultankhel and Torkham have been provided necessary medicines and trained staff to educate people about the hazards of the disease. The staff in collaboration with the relatives of the patient would see to it that drugs were properly administered and their course completed.

Medical Officer agency headquarter hospital, Dr Roohullah told Dawn that the purpose of the programme was to stop the spread of the TB. He said a separate laboratory had been set up at the hospital to minimize the chances of error in the patient’s sputum test. He said medicines worth Rs600,000 had already been purchased for distribution among the patient free of cost.

Similar TB control centres are already working in Jamrud and Bara tehsils of the Khyber Agency where a large number of TB patients are being treated free of cost.