Call for effective partnership, good governance in TB control

The success rate of tuberculosis (TB) treatment in the country is 97%. However, despite the availability of advanced and free treatment, a significant number of patients remain undiagnosed due to a lack of public awareness and social prejudice. Therefore, a call has been made for the establishment of effective partnerships and good governance in tuberculosis control.

This appeal was made by speakers at a discussion titled "Establishment of Effective Partnership and Good Governance Among Partners for Quality Control" which took place on Monday at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon (Surma Hall) in Dhaka.

The event was chaired by Shaheen Akhtar Dolly, Executive Director of Nari Maitree. Other speakers included Brigadier General Imrul Quais, Chief Health Officer of North City Corporation; Dr. Afzalur Rahman, Deputy Director of the Health Department; Dr. Ahmed Parvez Zabin, Divisional Expert at the Global Fund; and Shayla Islam, Assistant Director at BRAC, among others.

Representatives from more than 40 organizations involved in tuberculosis control, including BRAC, icddr,b, PHD, KMSS, NATAB, and BGMEA, were also in attendance.

During the event, it was reported that the current number of tuberculosis patients in the country is 129,919. Annually, at least 221 people per lakh are diagnosed with tuberculosis, with 3,300 cases identified as drug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis. The government is actively developing a national action plan for tuberculosis prevention for the years 2021 to 2025.