KULOB, February 13, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- High tuberculosis rate has been reported in Khatlon’s Shuroobod district.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the head physician of the central district hospital in Shuroobod, Begmat Kulobiyev, said that the present TB rate in the district is 110 per 100,000 people.

The district is located in mountain area and roads there leave much to be desired.  “A car NIVA (Russian jeep) that has been provided to the TB hospital located in the village Chagam has made work of local phthisiatricians easier,” Kulobiyev noted.

“Opened in 2007, the Chagam TB hospital has improved early detection of the disease and covered more population in the district,” the head physician said, adding that the DOTS program has been successfully implemented in the district for two years.

According to him, they have already come to an agreement with the DOTS program representatives to increase expenditures on meals for and treatment of TB patients.

The TB-DOTS program, which stands for Tuberculosis Directly Observed Short-course, has five components: political or management commitment; TB diagnosis through sputum microscopy (x-ray is only a secondary diagnostic tool);  availability of complete and quality anti-TB medications; supervised treatment (a responsible person making sure that the patient takes the anti-TB medication everyday); and recording and reporting of cases and outcomes  The TB-DOTS program complies with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards as a prescribed, cost-effective strategy to detect, treat and cure TB.

In the meantime, deputy head of the Shuroobod district, Ms. Sanam Odinayeva, said that 161,000 somoni would be allocated from the budget for the TB hospital in Chagam.  “Besides, 3 hectares has been allotted for organization of farm at the hospital,” she said.