By SUSAN OREAPE-FARAPO
WORLD Health Organisation representative in the country has called on health authorities in the country to take a proactive role in battling tuberculosis.
WHO (PNG) and TB expert Dr Rajendra Yadav said TB had gone from bad to worse due to the TB drug resistant.
The TB disaster was looming on the world’s horizon due to the rise in the incidence of drug resistant TB in almost all countries and is a wake- up call for Papua New Guinea.
He said the only way to control TB in the country was by using the Stop TB Strategy, which is enshrined in the Country Strategic Plan to Stop TB (2006-2010) of PNG.
“Provincial authorities should proactively seek the technical assistance of the National Department of Health and commit adequate resources to battle TB,” Dr Yadav said.
He said the most important thing that they could do as a starter was to deploy a full-time provincial TB coordinator and provide that person with enough resources for mobility
Dr Yadav made this comment after attending a World Conference of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease in South Africa this week.
The conference was attended by over 3,000 people from all over the world and PNG was represented by National TB programme manager Dr Paul Aia and WHO officers.
Dr Yadav has proposed to the NDoH to train a person for all TB related activities and for provinces to link with the Central Public Health Laboratory (Port Moresby) to set up quality-assured sputum microscopy laboratory networks.
“Decentralising treatment of TB to the aid-posts should be an option with health centres,” Dr Yadav said.