‘Punjab to be made TB-free’

LAHORE: Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Capt. (retd) Muhammad Usman has stated that with the use of new technologies and sustained cooperation of all partners the Punjab would become TB-Free by stipulated timeframe of 2030.

He stressed that TB Control was one of his flagship programmes and an integral cornerstone of Provincial Health Strategy of the Punjab. He maintained the provincial government was attaching a very high priority to social sectors, particularly health, in an effort to improve health indicators and outcomes in the province.

He was delivering a keynote address at the launch of a project for intensifying TB case detection through pharmacies with the help of Pakistan’s first mobile application (e-TB) for notifying TB patients through pharmacies.

Capt. (R) Muhammad Usman pointed out that innovative interventions will provide further support to the governmental agenda for providing patient-centered care and ensuring that human rights and gender dimensions of TB patients are addressed to a large extent. He maintained that the government was providing absolutely free TB diagnostic and treatment facilities.

He emphasized that his department is viewing the TB control and elimination mechanisms holistically and will explore linkages and synergies between Primary, Secondary and Tertiary care tiers in health care and ensure that the cross-cutting areas are effectively utilized in pursuance of the provincial goals and objectives. He said his department was building intra-sectoral and inter-sectoral linkages and collaboration within his department and with the related social sector departments, in addition to the social safety nets with a view to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals, which were extremely demanding and require a concerted effort.