Bhaktapur, Mar 18: The National Tuberculosis Centre has been providing treatment services to tuberculosis patients through 149 “D.O.T.S. centres” in 52 districts across the kingdom in the second quarterly of fiscal year 1999/2000.
A total of 4,659 patients have been provided treatment services under what is called the directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) programme during this period, it is learnt from the DOTS centre. Tuberculosis patients are provided treatment under the direct supervision of doctors under the DOTS regime.
This information was given at the two-day national quarterly review seminar organised here by the DOTS centre for tuberculosis and leprosy paramedics from all the 75 districts where the national tuberculosis control programme has been implemented.
On the occasion it was disclosed that DOTS services was also available at 416 DOTS sub-centres across the kingdom.
Besides DOTS, the centre has also been running a 12-month special tuberculosis treatment programme and an eight months short term treatment programme. A total of 1,951 tuberculosis are said to be undergoing treatment under the short and long term special programmes.
Speaking at the conclusion of the seminar, the National Tuberculosis Centre Director Dr. Dirgha Singh Bom expressed satisfaction that the recovery rate of tuberculosis patients at present had increased since the start of the DOTS programme in 1996 on an experimental basis.
At the programme presided over by director of the central region health services directorate Dr. Kedarnath Sharma, Deputy Director of the SAARC tuberculosis centre Dr. Pralhad Kumar, team leader of the JICA Tuberculosis Control Project Dr. K. Osuga, Miss Rosalind of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Govinda Bahadur Shrestha, Dr. Jaya Prasad Baral, Dr. James, Dr. Pushpa Malla and others spoke on the main highlights of the DOTS proramme in Nepal.
At the beginning of the DOTS programme, four DOTS treatment centres were opened in Nawalparasi, Parsa, Bhaktapur and Kailali districts in 1996. At that time there was an objective of expanding the programme depending on the success of the programme at these centres.
It was found that 85 out of 100 tuberculosis patients were cured of the disease through the DOTS regimen.
Based on this result, His Majesty’s Government has decided to expand the programme to all the districts in the kingdom within the ninth five-year plan period, according to Dr. Bom, director of the National and the SAARC Tuberculosis Centre.
According to the W.H.O. estimates one third of the total world population suffers from tuberculosis and 5,000 die of the disease every day.
It is estimated that there are currently some 80,000 tuberculosis patients in Nepal and the disease is said to claim the lives of about 8-11 thousand people especially of the productive age group every year.
Meanwhile in Biratnagar, the community based rehabilitation centre, Biratnagar, conducted a day-long health check-up camp for the benefit of the disabled and the physically handicapped persons of the locality.
On the occasion, 34 such persons were provided free medical check-up services.
Physically impaired and handicapped persons from Jhapa and Morang districts of Nepal and Farbisgunj of India are said to have visited the health camp. At the programme medicines, wheelchairs, artificial legs and crutches were distributed free of cost.