Pampanga hits TB treatment target

Pampanga hit the exact national tuberculosis (TB) treatment success rate of 90 percent in 2014 and exceeded the target of 90 percent with a 91 percent case detection rate for the same aspect last year. This was noted by the Innovations and Multisectoral Partnerships to Achieve Control of Tuberculosis (Impact), a United States Agency for International Development-funded, Philippine Business for Social Progress-managed non-government organization based in Intramuros, Manila. Impact serves as technical assistant of the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) team of the Pampanga Provincial Health Office (PHO)’s implementation of the National TB Control Program headed by North Luzon Region team leader Mona Lisa Morales and Pampanga area facilitator Diana Jeane Mallari.Morales said that NTP-Pampanga recorded three private TB “directly observed treatment, short-course” or DOTS-providing hospitals while five private hospitals are TB DOTS-referring hospitals. It accredited 171 private drug stores which have been referring presumptive TB cases to the health centers for further health care management. Some 678 TB case referrals came from the private sector from 2010 to 2014. One hundred percent of all jail facilities personnel in Pampanga were trained and are implementing the TB in Jail/Prison program, said the NTP. The province has 27 Rural Health Units that are PhilHealth accredited with 31 DOTS certified. The NTP also formed community-based organizations (CBOs) involving the Aetas in Porac and Floridablanca towns. These CBOs are now referring presumptive TB cases to the nearby health center. “Five local government units such as Floridablanca, Mabalacat City, City of San Fernando, San Simon and Arayat have issued a TB ordinance and one executive order,” added Morales. Meanwhile, Governor Lilia Pineda has created the Provincial Multi-Stakeholder Alliance (PMSAT) for Tuberculosis Control in the province. She has allocated an amount of P1.2-million from Capitol’s available funds to support the activities of PMSAT for TB control. The PMSAT for TB control shall identify and establish the roles and responsibilities of the partners in the organization and delivery of TB care. The alliance is tasked to coordinate with the different sectors involved in the NTP implementation and ensure that its policies and DOTS strategy is implemented ensuring a case detection rate of at least 90 percent and a treatment rate of at least 95 percent. PMSAT shall ensure that efforts and resources are generated and geared towards achieving the goal of having a community where TB is no longer a public health program. The governor said that with the persistence of TB, it requires a renewed call for action in combating the infectious disease.