DHAKA, Sept 21, 2021 (BSS) - Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid
Maleque today said Tuberculosis (TB) patients are recovering fully as the
government has expanded treatment facilities across the country.

     "Every year, nearly three lakh people are being infected by TB
(Tuberculosis).... we are continuing treatment facilities to cure TB patients
alongside COVID-19 pandemic," he told the inaugural function of one stop TB
service centre and regional TB reference programme at 250-bed TB Hospital at
Shaymoli in the city.

     Secretary of Health Service Division Lokman Hosen Mian and the US
Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller, Deputy Director of the 250-bed TB
Hospital Dr Md Abu Rayhan and representatives of different local and
International organizations, among others, addressed the function with
Director General of Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul
Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam in the chair, an official release said.

     The health minister said Bangladesh is committed to providing TB
diagnosis and treatment service completely free of cost to all citizens of
the country. "It strives to make services equally available to all people of
Bangladesh," he added.

     Prof Alam said among the communicable disease, Tuberculosis (TB) is the
commonest cause of morbidity and mortality, and continues to be a major
public health threat in Bangladesh.

     Other speakers said short course (DOTS) strategy was launched in 1993,
and the stop TB strategy that underpinned the global Plan to stop TB 2006-
2015.Since the introduction of DOTS, remarkable progress in TB control has
been made in the country, they added.