The TB Control Programme, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa organised a consultative workshop to develop a comprehensive strategy to create awareness on TB across the province in order to make people aware of diagnostic and treatment services that are available free of cost to TB patient. A strong awareness campaign will not only help TB patients to get proper treatment rather this will also help stop its spread.
For this purpose, the consultative workshop called on all stakeholders (Health Department, Executive District Officer, District TB Co-ordinators and implementing partners of TB Control Programme to compile their valuable recommendations for Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation (ACSM) to be incorporated in the strategy so that the free diagnostic and treatment facilities could be properly utilised and the threat of MDR-TB could be reduced.
The Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation (ACSM) strategy is developed to assist in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of ACSM activities to influence behaviour and mobilise communities to create long-term normative shifts towards desired behaviours.
The strategy includes practical guidelines which are being developed by Provincial TB Control Programme in KP supported by the Government of Pakistan and KFW (German Development Bank). Major objectives of the strategy include mobilisation of political commitment and resources for TB, improve case-finding and treatment adherence, combat stigma and discrimination and to empower people affected by TB as Pakistan ranks 5th among high burden TB countries in the world.
An estimated 50,000 new TB cases occur in KP every year. "In 2012, TB Control Programme KP was able to register 35,848 patients with 94 per cent treatment success rate. World Health Organisation has estimated about 1500 cases of Multi Drug Resistance (MDR-TB) annually in the province. The Programme's target is to enhance the capacity of public and private sectors to detect and manage 80 per cent of the estimated smear positive MDR-TB incident cases by 2015, said Dr Ubaid Hussain, the Project Director, TB Control Programme.
While drawing attention to the present government's priorities, the Director Health Services Dr Abdul Ghafoor stressed the need for focusing on union council level interventions that would result in empowered communities for the huge toll that TB takes in many households and for attracting political and financial support for the long-term, including preventive interventions as well as treatment and care.
He also highlighted poverty as a major cause of TB and emphasised on the working groups to address this issues in the strategy. The forum also highlighted the role of media in educating communities about health and social issues relating to TB and recommended that media needs to be mobilised through strong co-ordination.
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