Free treatment to fight TB

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KOTA KINABALU: The government is committed to combating tuberculosis (TB) threat, the number two infectious killer of adults in the world, by giving free treatment and medicine to patients in government hospitals and clinics.

Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun said cooperation in having proper outlines and guidelines between the government under Health Ministry, private hospitals  and NGOs in eradicating TB is a shared responsibility in fighting the disease.

“The government also keeps increasing training for Health Ministry staff and volunteers to detect early stages of the illness and at the same time to diagnose and treat.

“It is also mandatory for foreign workers to have TB screening before entering the country, and it is also compulsory for high risk institutions such as prisons and rehabilitation centers to be screened,” said Azizah at the launching of Sabah Anti-Tuberculosis Association (Sabata) seminar entitled ‘We Can Eradicate TB From Sabah’ at Dewan Majlis Perkhidmatan Masyarakat, near here yesterday.

Her speech was read by the ministry’s political secretary, Jornah Mozihim.

In her speech, Azizah also highlighted various strategies and activities that have been and that will be strengthened to ensure the target of reducing TB cases will be achieved by 2050.

According to Azizah, the government has improved the health care education among the public by giving them the opportunity to have awareness of early stage of TB and to ensure that they have proper treatment in government hospitals and clinics for free.

The event yesterday aimed to create awareness of the need for all people in Sabah to be vigilant to prevent the spread of TB and to inform the participants on what the public should know and do to prevent the spread of the disease.

It also aimed to teach the participants when to seek treatment and at the same time to bring together social workers, NGO members and volunteers in an environment of learning and sharing.

Four working papers were presented at the seminar yesterday, namely ‘What Public Should Know and Do’, ‘TB Disease: When To Seek Treatment’, ‘TB and Diabetes’ and ‘What Does Sabata Do’.

Dr Sri Devi Priya talked about the link between TB and diabetes and how to control both diseases by practising a healthy lifestyle, while Dr Joseph Lee explained about the right time to seek treatment.

Dr Richard Avoi shared his expertise on what the public should know about TB with the participants.

The event was organized by Sabata and sponsored by Malaysian Health Promotion Board which sponsored RM10,000 to the organizer.