300,000 TB patients get free treatment facilities every year.

ISLAMABAD -- National Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program on Monday said that 300,000 TB patients are benefiting from free diagnostic and treatment facilities at hospitals every year in Pakistan.

According to an official of National TB Control Program, total TB cases incidence rate per year is 525,000 in Pakistan while the figure of TB cases under treatment is 368,589.

He said that Pakistan ranks four among countries with high incident cases of multi-drug resistant TB as estimated 27,000 new cases are reported every year. As many as 160,000 Tuberculosis patients are missed from treatment and 56,000 deaths are occurred due to this disease every year.

He said that 1571 microscopy centers have been working in the country. He added TB treatment success rate is 93 percent. He said that the government has paid special attention to this critical issue and strengthened the program for providing a free treatment to TB patients.

The official said that more than 30 hospitals have been upgraded to take care of multi-drug resistant TB cases and 13 laboratories equipped with state of the art facilities are being established in various parts of the country. He said that the government is committed to achieve the target of eliminating the disease from the country and sought support of all...