KARACHI, Jan 21: Dr Syed Karam Shah, manager National Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program (NTP), has underlined the need for resolving all bottlenecks in the process of DOTS implementation in Sindh.

Addressing a consultative meeting on issues related to public-private partnerships and DOTS implementation at the WHO -Sindh office here, he requested the Provincial TB Control Programme Sindh to draw up a detailed monitoring plan so that all towns could come on board and the patients who badly required TB services could benefit.

Dr Shah also urged the provincial authorities to conduct a meeting with Zila Nazim, Town Nazims and Town Health Officers of Karachi, and train all the remaining lady health workers (LHWs) of Karachi so that DOTS could be launched in all towns without any further delay.

Dr Shah observed that the Sindh TB Control Programme was quite rich in terms of manpower and resources and hoped that the implementation would be further improved with the induction of Dr Amanullah Ansari in WHO Sindh as full-time TB Control Program officer.

Earlier Dr Ghulam Nabi Khokar, director TB Control Sindh, welcomed the participants and gave an introductory talk about DOTS in Sindh.

He said that the program was well ahead in terms of inter-sectoral collaboration but a lot of effort was required to introduce a good model of urban DOTS in Karachi. Dr Khokar said there was a need to strengthen government health facilities before collaborating with other partners.

Dr Ghulam Nabi Kazi, WHO operations officer for Sindh, appreciated the fact that PC-1 of the Sindh Tuberculosis Programme was being revised to incorporate all the elements such as monitoring costs, health education and substantial laboratory support for the Institute of Chest Diseases Kotri and TB Hospital Khairpur.

Dr Kazi thanked the WHO country representative, Dr Khalif Bile Mohamud, for supporting a research study to measure the significance of community involvement in TB Case Detection and Treatment Outcome Rates.

Prof Javaid A Khan of AKUH highlighted the need for creating awareness amongst GPs and the general public as to the location of the diagnostic and treatment centres of DOTS in Karachi.

The director TB Control Programme, Stated that he was publishing a directory very shortly of all the districts showing the names of district TB coordinators and names of all the diagnostic and treatment centres in each district.—APP