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Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday said that the medicine for Tuberculosis (TB) disease is manufactured by the local companies and it would be exported to foreign countries in the future.
“Overall TB disease situation in the country has improved significantly”, the minister said while speaking as the chief guest at a dissemination workshop on TB organised by the health directorate.
Explaining several measures taken by the health authorities for screening and treatment of TB patients, he said, “Now our manufacturers are producing TB drugs. After meeting the local demands; we will export it in the future.”
On average, 3 lakh people are diagnosed with TB every year and many of them die, subsequently, he said, adding that, “In 2015 around 70,000 people died from the disease but now the number has slipped down to 40,000. The number of deaths is high as Bangladesh is a densely populated country.”
The TB situation is gradually progressing with time as TB screening programme has been conducted on a large scale, Maleque said.
Hospitals have been equipped with TB testing equipment while at the same time people are becoming more cautious regarding this in recent time, he mentioned.
“Earlier, people had stigma about TB disease but the situation is changing. More people are coming to the hospitals in recent years.”, the minister stated.
The government will increase budget allocation for TB management, if necessary, he said, adding that, “Good quality TB treatment is being provided across the country.”
About recent dengue situation, Maleque said that the number of deaths from dengue has increased ominously.
“Hundreds of people are getting admitted to hospitals every day. Hospitals are receiving patients from every districts. But to reduce the infection rate, mosquito breeding spots should be destroyed”, he observed.
He urged the local government to control dengue spree by destroying the mosquito breeding grounds across the country.
According to latest data of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), dengue claimed two lives and 1,020 more were newly infected on Sunday.
So far, a total of 37,151 people were diagnosed with dengue this year and 136 of them died while 33,385 others recovered.
Among the patients, highest number of people were hospitalised (21,059) and died (81) in October.
