Doctors can now report patients to the National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) immediately after diagnosis, through a mobile app.
The app, called “Janao,” was developed by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b).
The information was disclosed during a press conference jointly organized by NTP, the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Brac at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday, ahead of World TB Day on Sunday.
A total 300 doctors are currently registered with the app, and the NTP plans to expand the number to 4,000 doctors this year.
While presenting the keynote paper, NTP Medical Officer Dr Nazis Arefin Saki said a total 277,276 cases of tuberculosis (TB) were reported and treated in 2018.
National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Brac jointly organizes a press conference ahead of World TB Day at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday, March 23, 2019 | CourtesyAccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), 26% of TB cases go unreported in Bangladesh. Undiagnosed patients are most likely to transmit the disease to others, and this is why identifying TB patients and including them in the national database is so important, Dr Nazis Arefin added.
National Anti-Tuberculosis Association of Bangladesh (NATAB) President Muzaffar Hossain Paltu stressed the importance of raising awareness in the fight against TB, and said the association is reaching out to religious leaders to seek their assistance in this regard.
Prof Md Shamiul Islam, director of the Mycobacterial Disease Control (MBDC) Directorate and line director of TBL and ASP, also addressed the press conference.
The theme for World TB Day 2019 is “It’s time.”
Brac Director Dr Md Akramul Islam, icddr,b Senior Scientist Dr Sayra Banu, IRD Country Director Dr Tapash Roy, Brac Associate Director Dr Mahfuza Rifat, Damien Foundation Country Director Dr Aung Kay Jai Maug , and WHO representative Oscar Cordon were present at the press conference, among others.
