HARIPUR, March 25: The health department is opening 13 centres in the district to provide medical assistance to the tuberculosis patients free of cost, an official said.

Of the facilities, four diagnostic and five medical centres had been made operative, Dr Rafiq Tanoli, officer in charge of the district TB centre  in Shah Mohammed, told participants of a ceremony held on World TB Day.

He said the diagnostic centres in Shah Mohammed, Khanpur, Haripur central jail and Ghazi had begun providing services to the registered TB patients. Medical centres in Sera-i-Nehmat Khan, Nara, Sirikot Beer and Kot Najibullah were also providing services, he said.

He said TB centres at Hally, Hattar, Kalinjar and Baitgali villages  would be made functional in the next phase.

He said lack of cleanliness and awareness were the main causes of spread of the disease.

Dr Tanoli said there were 1,500 patients in Haripur of whom 800 were registered with the district TB control centre.

He said Afghan refugees were more vulnerable to the disease due to poor living conditions standard in the slums and they constituted 40 per cent of the patients.

Provincial assembly member Qazi Asad promised to get the TB centre in Shah Muhammad upgraded to hospital.

He said he would also strive for opening of the proposed university of health sciences at Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad.