PESHAWAR, Feb 14: The NWFP health department has directed registration of tuberculosis patients so they can be provided with free diagnostic and treatment services.

The directive was given by NWFP health secretary Abdus Samad Khan at a meeting of the district quarterly review meeting of the TB Control Programme on Wednesday.

Mr Khan praised the performance of the TB Control Programme in combating the disease and said its achievements were encouraging.

The meeting, attended by executive district officers, health, district TB officers and TB focal persons of various districts, reviewed progress of various districts in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The health secretary said negligence in efforts to combat the disease would not be accepted.

He also appreciated tertiary care and district headquarters hospitals for providing treatment to patients. Similarly, he termed involving religious leaders, general physicians and lady health workers in prevention of the disease positive steps. “These steps will bear fruit”, he remarked.

He directed authorities to ensure availability of medicines to TB patients. He also promised to include 13 more district TB officers’ posts in the next budget.

NWFP TB Control Programme manager Dr Abdul Ghafoor informed the meeting that 192 treatment and 700 diagnostic centres were providing free services to TB patients in the province. He disclosed that more than 26,000 TB patients were registered in the province in 2006.

He said TB detection ratio was 70 per cent and the success rate was 90 per cent in the province. “This is the best success rate throughout the country”, he said. He said Abbottabad and Shangla districts had achieved 100 per cent targets during the last year.