There are only two tuberculosis treatment hospitals in Sindh – one is located in Kotri and the other in Karachi widely known as Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases where all MDR (Multi-Drug Resistant) cases are treated.
The Sindh government has so far failed to fulfil the old demand to establish two more hospitals in upper Sindh, one in Larkana and other in Sukkur.
The TB DOTS clinic was started here in Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on October 27, 2003, and since then 3909 TB new smear positive cases have been detected up to end of 2014 and up to March 28, 2015 as many as 125 new cases have been enrolled out of which 13 have died, one has been cured and 106 are on treatment. The catchments area of this clinic is said to be 4,16,028 people.
Though free treatment including tests is given to the affected patients but MDR cases are sent to the pulmonary ward which is facing acute shortage of beds as male ward is under renovation and repair due to which its patients are also kept in the casualty and another ward which indeed is said to be very dangerous for other patients as well, sources revealed. This ward has 32-beds out of which 10 beds are for females, 16 for males and 6 for serious patients who are constantly kept on oxygen.
As many as 1,303 patients were admitted to the ward of this largest teaching hospital of upper Sindh during the year 2014. The most common diseases detected by the doctors and number of indoor patients include 101 patients of respiratory failure, 145 of Bronchitis Asthma, 96 of Psot. TB Broncoectiese, 1260 of TB, 410 of COPD, 100 of P Effusion, 50 of CA Lung, 51 of Hydro Pneumothorax and 224 other patients.
These patients belonged to many areas of various districts and came for specialized medical treatment to save their precious lives.
The Sindh government should establish at least two more TB treatment hospitals to facilitate people of upper Sindh, one each in Larkana and Sukkur, so that poor could be saved from extra burden of going to these far flung areas for treatment.