KP minister vows to eradicate tuberculosis by 2015

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minister for Health, Syed Zahir Ali Shah on Thursday vowed to eradicate the disease of Tuberculosis (TB) totally by the year 2015 saying the government will provide every kind of assistance in this respect.
Addressing a seminar organised in connection with the World TB Day here on Thursday, he stressed the mobilisation of the whole society. He said that the support of the donors' community was also encouraging in this regard. He called upon all segments of the society to join hands and reach out each and every patient of TB.
He said that though free diagnostics and treatment facilities are being provided to all patients and the disease is curable but still the problem is to reach the patients, create awareness among the people at large and ensure that the disease is timely discovered and timely intervened. He appreciated the fact that the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was far ahead than the other provinces in treatment and management of this disease, while the mass media was fully supporting the government and TB Association's efforts to create awareness among the people in this regard but still the whole society has to do more so that the disease could be eradicated and ensure that this is no more a consuming disease, as it used to be.
He also pointed out that some patient while starting its treatment, leave the treatment in the middle, which creates problem, therefore, awareness should be given to people. He appreciated the efforts of the TB association particularly their working in the Peshawar where he said that they were successfully running seven treatment centres in the city and providing treatment facilities at their door steps.
Earlier, Special Secretary Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Professor Khairul Iman, Deputy Manager National TB Control Programme, Project Director TB Control Program Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Health, Dr Syed Hussain Hadi, Project Director TB, in their addresses pointed out that there was 98 per cent success rate in the treatment in 806 treatment centres of the province, while the free service treatment and diagnostic services have been extended to the private hospitals also.