PESHAWAR, Jan 19: A high-tech provincial tuberculosis reference laboratory was formally inaugurated at the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) on Thursday.

Provincial health minister Zahir Ali Shah and head of Afghanistan and Pakistan division at German economic cooperation for development ministry (BMZDr Stefan Oswald cut the ribbon to open the lab run by provincial TB Control Programme with German support.

Mr Zahir told participants that the lab's establishment showed the provincial government's strong commitment towards public health.

He said the lab would offer free TB diagnosis and treatment services.

He welcomed German support for TB control and said he hoped that Germany would continue helping the provincial government contain the infectious disease.

Dr Ubaid Hussain, project director of provincial TB Control Programme, said the lab would serve as a massive support to the programme and poor TB patients, especially those suffering from multi-drug resistance.

'The facility will also serve as a research centre for diagnostic services and will be a reference centre catering to more than 220 laboratories in the province in terms of capacity building and training in diagnostic services,' he said.

The project director said the lab would be of bio-safety level-3 meant to provide culture of TB bacilli, drug sensitivity testing and routine spu.

tum smear test.

The German delegates appreciated the provincial government's commitment towards TB control and the provincial TB Control Programme's efforts to contain the infectious disease in a risky environment.

They voiced the hope that the lab would help poor people of the province access TB diagnosis and treatment facilities to lead a healthy life.

Pakistan desk officer at BMZ Katja Weigelt, economic counselor of German Embassy in Islamabad Antje Grawe, director KfW Development Bank office in Islamabad Dr Anna Christine Janke, project manager (health) KfW office Dr Masuma Zaidi and other officials attended the function.