Indus Hospital’s photo exhibition to support TB patients

In an effort to create awareness about tuberculosis (TB) and promote an environment that is supportive to the people affected by the disease, the Indus Hospital has announced the inauguration of Tasweer-e-Zindagi – a three-day exhibition showcasing compelling photographs taken by TB patients, their families and TB treatment supporters to draw attention towards their experiences and depict life through their eyes.
Aimed at providing TB patients with an effective platform to highlight the challenges faced by them in their day-to-day lives, the exhibition featured a gallery of more than 60 photographs and stories that presented an eye-opening representation of their struggle to combat and overcome their disease.
With the participation of local health officials, health-care providers, NGO representatives and the core team of the Tasweer-e-Zindagi project, the inaugural was addressed by Dr Ejaz Qadeer, programme manager of the National TB Control Programme and Dr Naseem Salahuddin, professor and head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Indus Hospital.
Stressing the need to disseminate accurate information about TB among health-care practitioners, TB patients and the general population at large, Dr Naseem Salahuddin, appealed to the key stakeholders in healthcare to recognise their due responsibility to offset the negative impact of the disease through initiatives geared towards providing support to TB patients.
“We need to create a supportive environment in the country where people affected by TB are empowered and not stigmatised. It is essential that practitioners remember that TB not only affects patients physically, but also emotionally, socially, and financially,” she said.
“It also captures the impact on young women who are most vulnerable due to their poor health and nutritional status, and their inability to obtain medical care independently.”
Sharing her insights on the occasion, Shama Mohammad, project director of Tasweer-e-Zindagi, revealed that despite the availability of government-provided testing and treatment, thousands of people in Pakistan die each year from TB, with an estimated 60,000 deaths in 2010 alone from the disease, despite free testing and treatment available to the public.
“Pakistan ranks eighth amongst countries with the highest burden of TB globally. TB is also plagued by a great deal of misinformation and stigma in Pakistan, which is why we feel that it is important to work with people directly affected by TB to understand the challenges and barriers that they face,” she pointed out.