Today is 24th March, World TB day. This years’ TB Day slogan is, ‘TB is everywhere- Prevent Together’. That means we all have to prevent TB together. So, peoples’ participation has become very important in national TB control program. The point of public participation has emerged from people of different occupations and specialists’ thoughts. Bodor Bepari of Muslimpur village was attacked by TB at the last stage of his youth. Then he spent rest of his life with TB and by taking medicine for that. He stayed isolated from all and lived for 20 more years with TB. TB is widely known as royal disease and it is believed to be hereditary disease. It became true. His only son could not escape from this disease. Bodor Bepari suffered his whole life in maltreatment and irregular treatment for ignorance. His son inherited his disease who also could not escape from that by any medicine. Although he became father of five children but could not live a happy life with them. A third member was attacked from the same family. She was the grand daughter of Bodor Bepari. Her disease (TB) was detected at the primary stage and she was cured with regular treatment.

Md. Sobed Ali who is aged over 50 years and Mosammad Lucky Akhtar of Dighirchala village, Gazipur get cured by taking regular medicine from the health service provider. Mahbooba of Barboika village came to her parents’ house just to take medicine regularly from the health service provider. Rickshaw puller Neamat has seen advertisement on TV performed by Riaz. He knows that TB is curable but he does not know where to go for treatment. Van puller Mojib’s opinion, “TB is a deadly disease. If someone is attacked by it, he is finished. I am afraid to hear the name of it.” Garment worker Sahera herself is a TB patient. She is taking medicine for the last five months. She informed that her family members stay away from her although they know that she will be cured. But many people like school going children Tanzira, Shorona, Kishor and Ibrahim do not know anything except the name of the disease TB. In 1993 World Health Organization (WHO) has identified Tuberculosis as the world health problem. Bangladesh stands in the sixth position out of 22 TB affected countries. Every year thousands of people died of TB in Bangladesh. Millions are getting infected. But for these deaths, TB virus alone is not responsible. Humans are equally responsible. Because whoever is infected with TB he/she does not know that his/her negligence can infect 10 more people and make their lives unsafe. Maybe he/she does not know that this can be cured by full term regular treatment. Some do not admit about their disease for stigma. Some prefers to die silently. To fight this situation TB control program now considering public participation as an important factor. Millennium development goal has set year 2015 to reduce total number of TB patients in the world by 50% and also the number of deaths caused by TB to 50%. Specialists think to attain the goal society based health system is necessary. Program Manager of National TB control program Dr. Vikarunnessa Begum has said, “To build awareness among public we need to improve our health service. If patients get proper treatment and better advises they can aware each other.” She thinks poverty is the main obstacle to build health awareness in the country. She added, we need to reduce the poverty level. If people can be freed from poverty they can be educated and can come out of superstitions. Then they will automatically become health conscious.

According to Dr. Khurshid Alam, national health consultant of WHO, “ to ensure the overall success of the TB control program we need to carry out encouragement programs along with improved health service. Encouragement meetings should be arranged in every level of districts, thanas, villages, communities and in blocks through local representatives and renowned individuals. If community gets aware of, the whole country will become aware of TB.”

Director of BRAC advocacy and human rights unit Afsan Chowdhury stated that people should understand that TB is a very dangerous disease and it can be cured by treatment. They should know that treatment is near to him. It is their right to get the treatment. Where there is an environment of accountability, improved health service can be ensured there. That is society based health system is much more stronger than treatment based health system. This example is now seen in many countries.

Newspaper: Daily Shomokal (National)
Date of publication: 24th March, 2007
Translated by: Mir Laila Ferdous