Rs 15 billion being spent on patients; World tuberculosis Day on March 24

With Pakistan ranks 5th among a group of countries facing high burden of tuberculosis (TB), 'World Tuberculosis Day 2005' is being celebrated under the auspices of World Health Organisation (WHO) throughout the world, including Pakistan, on Thursday. The WHO has pledged that all out efforts for creation of healthy society, elimination of poverty and promoting awareness among people about various diseases, including TB, will continue to be made vigorously.
This year's theme for the Day is 'DOTs has cured me it will cure you'. To mark the Day, walks, seminars, scientific sessions, symposiums, and special functions will be held across the country.
Professor Dr Saqib Saeed, Associate Professor of Chest Medicines, Jinnah Hospital Lahore told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that there are 4 million cases of TB in Pakistan and efforts are being made to check spread of the disease through implementation of the DOTs (directly observed treatment short course) programme.
"Four out of five TB patients in Pakistan still remain undetected or untreated; six out of seven doctors do not know how to write rational prescription for a detected TB patient. One untreated open case of TB can make 10-15 people TB patients in a year time', he pointed out.
It may be mentioned that the WHO has described TB's situation in Pakistan as one of the worst in the world. TB is out of control in Pakistan due to inadequate TB programme, high rate of population growth and lack of awareness among the people about the disease.
Dr Saqib further said that estimated 15 billion of rupees are being spent on treatment of TB patients. Millions are infected with TB world-wide annually and three million of them die. Apart from this, the victims of TB had to face sufferings due to decline in efficiency, he added.
To a question, Professor Dr Saqib Saeed said that improper and late diagnosis, inappropriate treatment, irregular intake of drugs by the TB patients, poor follow up, drug resistance and untreatable patients are major obstacles in controlling the disease of tuberculosis.
Elaborating, he said TB is an insidious disease. By the time the classical symptoms of TB are evident, the victim has infected many people. Symptoms and signs can not be relied upon to determine presence or absence of tuberculosis, he added.
Accurate diagnosis of TB such as clinical assessment, history, radiological assessment, blood examination, isolation of mycobacterium, bronchoscope, biopsy, anti bodies assisted diagnostic test and polymerise chain reaction analysis can be helpful in checking mismanagement of the disease, he opined.