PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Chest Society (PCS) President Dr Arshad Javed Saturday Pakistan was one of the eight countries having a high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB), and vowed to continue the efforts to contain the disease.
Addressing a news conference here, he said almost a population of nine millions was suffering from the disease across the world.
He said the PCS and TB Control Programme should appraise the masses and speed up their efforts to eradicate the ailment.
He said the PCS, in collaboration with the TB Control programme, had arranged a symposium and staged an awareness rally on March 11 this year.
He added that around 29,000 patients in the year 2007 and 30,000 in 2008 were registered at TB control centres.
He informed the TB control programme had established 214 diagnosing centres in different parts of the NWFP, saying scores of the centres were providing free of cost medicines with the assistance of Health Department and TB control programme.
He warned that the disease could take a more dangerous shape, ie MDRTB, commonly known as resistive TB, if not properly treated.
He said the wrong use of medicines could deteriorate TB further. Dr Javed urged the government in general and the health department officials in particular to intensify efforts for eradication of the disease. He maintained that with the collaboration of the expert doctors and specialists, the PCS had formulated guidelines, which played a vital role in treatment of the MDRTB.
The government, he said, would also provide all kinds of medicines to TB control centres for the treatment of MDRTB, and would also appoint chest specialists for checking it.
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