World TB Day marked: Govt with global partners launch campaign for elimination

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations has vowed to end tuberculosis (TB) from the country as Pakistan ranks fifth among high-burden countries globally and the country witnesses approximately 608,000 new TB cases and 15,000 drug-resistant TB cases annually.

Addressing an event here in connection with World TB Day, Federal Secretary Ministry of National Health Services Iftikhar Ali Shallwani said that the Pakistan government in collaboration with global partners including JSI & Dopasi Foundation had launched a campaign to eradicate TB from the country.

“The goal of World TB Day is to highlight the worldwide commitment to eliminate TB and ensure equitable access to prevention, treatment, and care for this disease,” Shallwani said. He extended unwavering dedication to the global theme, “Yes! We Can End TB!”.

The secretary reaffirmed the Government of Pakistan's commitment to combatting TB by ensuring free diagnostic and treatment facilities across public and private health institutions. To confront this challenge, the government provides free TB diagnostic and treatment services in over 1500 public and private facilities, involving more than 15,000 general practitioners in TB control efforts.

Emphasising the scale of the challenge, Shallwani addressed the task of finding and treating 2.2 million individuals affected by TB, including children and those battling drug-resistant TB. Additionally, the government aims to administer TB preventive treatment to over 1.2 million people, reaffirming its dedication to preserving lives and safeguarding communities.

Dr Razia Kaniz Fatima, National Coordination for Coordination Management Unit, AIDS, TB, and Malaria, emphasised this year's World TB Day theme, highlighting the necessity for collective action, innovation, and collaboration to accelerate progress towards eradicating TB as a public health menace. Commending the efforts of the Government of Pakistan and various stakeholders, Dr Fatima stressed the significance of person-centred public health services, trust-building, innovation, and accountability.

Dr Muhammad Ahmed Kazi, director general of the Ministry of National Health Services, underscored the devastating impact of TB on individuals, families, and communities, urging heightened political and social commitment to mitigate its burden. He acknowledged the tireless endeavours of healthcare workers, researchers, policymakers, and communities worldwide in combatting this ancient disease.

Other health experts, speaking on the occasion, said that TB is the second infectious killer in the world and the 13th largest cause of death overall.

“On this day, political and social commitment might be mobilised in order to accelerate efforts to reduce the burden of tuberculosis. We all firmly believe that if we want to advance towards a world where there are zero TB deaths, nobody should be left behind in the fight against TB,” they revealed.

Around four million avoidable deaths still occur each year as a result of infectious diseases such as HIV, malaria, viral hepatitis, and TB, they said and added accelerating efforts to lessen the burden of communicable diseases is a vital way to attain that aim as countries work towards universal healthcare. Countries with a high disease burden will struggle to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) without investing significantly more in the fight against communicable diseases, they said.

The event featured a video message by Dr Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership, and Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the Global TB Programme at WHO. Dr Luo Dapeng, newly-appointed WHO Representative Pakistan, also delivered remarks. Success stories of two patients (DST 0r DR TB) were also presented.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024