LAHORE: The World Health Organisation (WHO) will extend full cooperation to Pakistan and all types of technical assistance would be provided to the Punjab TB Control Programme (PTP) for achieving the target of eradication of TB by 2030.
For the purpose, all relevant departments, institutions, social and corporate sectors have to work together with the multi-sectoral approach.
These views were expressed during the meeting of the World Health Organisation (WHO) TB Mission, which came from Geneva, along with the Punjab TB Control Programme officials.
The WHO TB Mission from Geneva, Switzerland, and Cairo, Egypt is on four days visit to Pakistan to review the steps taken by the local authorities for achieving the target to eradicate TB from the country.
WHO’s delegation consisted of Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Dr. Christian Gunneberg, Dr. Rana Hajjeh, Dr. Mohammad Akhter, Regional Advisor WHO and Dr. Irfan, WHO’s local representative. Additional Director PTP Dr. Asif, Dr. Usman, and Development Operations Manager Zubair Ahmad were also present.
While giving a detailed presentation to the delegation regarding the arrangements and steps taken for TB control, Provincial Director Dr Zarfishan Tahir said that at present 108 gene expert machines had been installed at the public sector health facilities for diagnosis of tuberculosis and very soon 45 more would be included in the system to complete the target of installation of 170 gene expert machines.
Moreover, 11 specialized centers have been established in tertiary care hospitals for the treatment of drug-resistant TB patients (DRT).
Dr. Zarfishan said that eight BSL II Labs and an Ultra-modern Bio Safety Level III Laboratory has been established in Lahore for performing most complicated tests. She said that 700 micro labs are also available in the health facilities in the province.
She said that LHWs were also contributing a lot to search of missing TB patients in addition to their own duties. Online reporting system installed in the hospitals, called Electronic Medical Reporting System, through which reporting, registration and data collection of such patients becomes much easier.
This system has been prepared by the PITB. The ratio of complete cure of common TB is 92 percent whereas this ratio in MDRT is 63%. Some patients escaped without completing their treatment of six months and became DRT case.
Director PTP informed the WHO TB Mission that on the direction of Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid, HIV tests of TB patients have also been carried out and so far 90,000 registered TB patients have gone through this test.
The WHO mission also called on Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar and held a meeting with Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid. The delegation expressed their satisfaction over the political commitment shown by the high dignitaries towards TB eradication.
The WHO Mission also visited Bio-Safety Level-III Lab. on Birdwood Road and witnessed the latest equipment and the facilities in the laboratory.