Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said tuberculosis (TB) patients are getting remarkable recovery as the government has expanded treatment facilities across the country.
"Every year, nearly 300,000 people are being infected by TB. We are continuing treatment facilities to cure TB patients alongside the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.
The minister came up with the statement while addressing the inaugural function of the one-stop TB service centre and regional TB reference programme at 250-bed TB Hospital at Shaymoli in the city on Tuesday, reports BSS.
The health minister said Bangladesh is committed to providing TB diagnosis and treatment services completely free of cost to all citizens of the country.
"It strives to make services equally available to all people of Bangladesh," he added.
Secretary of Health Service Division Lokman Hosen Mian, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller, Deputy Director of 250-bed TB Hospital Dr Md Abu Rayhan and representatives of different local and international organisations, among others, addressed the function.
Director-General of Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam presided over the function.
Prof Alam said among the communicable disease, Tuberculosis (TB) is the commonest cause of morbidity and mortality and continues to be a major public health threat in Bangladesh.
Other speakers said short course (DOTS) strategy was launched in 1993, and the stop TB strategy that underpinned the global Plan to stop TB 2006- 2015.
Since the introduction of DOTS, remarkable progress in TB control has been made in the country, they added.
