Suhum (Eastern Region) 19 May ?99
The Suhum Government Hospital recorded 106 tuberculosis cases last year.
Between January and March this year, the hospital has already recorded 40 cases, Dr. Harry Opata, district director of health services in charge of the Suhum/Kraboa/Coaltar said that more cases are expected before the end of the year.
Dr. Opata said only six TB cases were reported at the hospital in 1991 and that between 1992 and 1997, 92 cases were reported.
At a two-day workshop on tuberculosis control for 16 health workers drawn from the sub-district at Suhum in the Eastern Region, he said symptoms of the disease include persistent cough, chest pains, blood in cough, shortness in breathing and lost in weight.
DANIDA and the Ministry of Health sponsored the workshop.
Topics discussed include TB control, strategies and objectives of TB control, prevention and development of drug resistance.
Dr. Opata said the district is expected to achieve 55 per cent cure rate before the end of the year, while by the year 2000, the district expects to achieve 85 per cent national target cure rate.
To this end, he said, TB treatment centres have been opened in the various health posts in the sub-district.
Treatment of TB is free and there are sufficient drugs, he said.
He therefore appealed to family members not to shun their TB patients, rather send them to the hospital.
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