Manila - The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday urged
governments in Asia and the Pacific to boost their national health
systems, which are vital in the fight against tuberculosis (TB),
especially drug-resistant cases.
The Manila-based WHO Western Pacific Office said that effective TB
control has been hampered by weaknesses in national health systems,
such as chronic staff shortages and inadequate financial resources.
Shin Young-Soo, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific,
also cited low access to quality care and flawed links between
service providers in public and private sectors as other weaknesses
that hinder the battle against tuberculosis.
'Our available tools work, but they are not enough,' Shin said in
a message on the eve of World Stop TB Day on Tuesday.
'To progress, we must think bigger and look beyond DOTS (which
refers to the prevailing treatment strategy for tuberculosis) to the
actual settings in which TB programmes operate: national health
systems,' he added.
WHO said some 5,000 new tuberculosis infections occur everyday in
the region, with some cases already becoming multidrug-resistant.
'The risk of an epidemic of TB that does not respond to drugs
compels countries to take action,' Shin said. 'We cannot tackle
multidrug-resistant TB when most laboratories lack sufficient number
of skilled technicians, as well as tools to identify cases.'
WHO said that aside from providing training and better salaries to
health staff, governments must also ensure that TB treatment is free
of charge, noting that out-of-pocket expenses deter patients from
seeking care.
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