The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Magura

Speakers at a round-table meeting here called for effective social movement to build up Bangladesh as a tuberculosis free country. The meeting was jointly organised at Press Club auditorium by BRAC, Health Department, NATAB and Press Club on Saturday September 22.

Press Club president Advocate Depok Roy Chowdhury presided over the meeting while Deputy Commissioner Md. Abdul Halim was present as Chief guest

In the meeting Priti Ranjon Data, Senior social communicator, BRAC Regional office Khulna said, in 2001 while the programme was started in Magura, the detection rate of Tuberculosis patient was only 13 percent But with the strong help of Govt Health Department and total social movement the rate has been updated to 84 percent on August this year. Of them, 90 percent patients have already been fully cured by their treatment He expected that if the social activities against tuberculosis disease remain so, the detection and controlling rate of tuberculosis disease would must be updated to 100 percent within short time. For this, he urged to the civil society for their effective involvement in the connection.

Madhu Sudan Dey, Regional Health Officer of BRAC Magura, informed that from the month of January to June this year, they have fully cured 346 persons from tuberculosis disease.

Of them, 124 persons were cured in Sadar Upazila, 77 were cured in Mohammadpur Upazila, 69 in Shalikha and 67 in Sripur Upazila. He also informed that during the last eight months they estimated 632 positive patients in the district Of the targeted people 528 persons were detected as smear positive tuberculosis patients. Of them, 181 smear patient were detected in Sadar, 114 were in Mohammadpur, 104 in shalikha, 106 in Shreepur, 23 in CDC area.

Deputy Commissioner Abdul Halim said, in order to get rid of tuberculosis fully at first we must try to change the negative atitude of mass people about tuberculosis disease. For this, mass awareness and social movement is very essential.

Police Super Mohammad Muslim, Poura Chairman M.A Gafur, Advocate Sharif Amirul Hassan, Advocate Amjad Hossain, NGO co-ordinator Abdul Halim also spoke among others at the meeting.