Q:
A:
Health Minister opens conference on battling tuberculosis
Belgrade,
8 March 2004
Serbian Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic opened a two-day conference themed "Support to the Programme for Fighting Tuberculosis in Serbia" in Belgrade on Monday.
As part of the conference, organised by the Serbian Ministry of Health, the Fund for an Open Society and the Association of Serbian Pulmonologists, the Ministry will present a draft national programme for tuberculosis control and treatment, prepared by its national commission on tuberculosis.
It was hard to believe that tuberculosis, a disease easy to detect and treat today, will resurface as a global health problem at the end of the 20th century, said Milosavljevic.
Years of non-investment, obsolete equipment and unmotivated workers have brought the Serbian health sector to its knees, the Minister went on to say, adding that although much has been done to refurbish medical equipment and repair hospitals in the past year, it is necessary to change key laws in the sector, introduce health chambers, define the level of health care protection and design a strategy for preventing a number of diseases, including tuberculosis.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around two billion people, or one third of the entire population in the world is infected with tuberculosis. Around eight million new cases of tuberculosis and two million deaths are being reported every year. Over 90 percent of tuberculosis patients live in developing countries, with 75 percent of the infected aged between 15 and 45.
WHO, which declared tuberculosis a global health problem, has introduced the DOTS tuberculosis control strategy. DOTS combines five elements including political commitment, microscopy services, drug supplies, surveillance and monitoring systems, as well as use of highly efficacious regimes with direct observation of treatment.
The national commission on tuberculosis has drafted a national programme for tuberculosis control and treatment in Serbia, in line with the WHO guidelines. According to the programme, the number of tuberculosis patients in Serbia has been on the rise since 2000, with 37 in 1,000 people infected with the disease.
Implementation of the national programme and DOTS aims to reduce the rate of tuberculosis infection and increase treatment rate over the next five years.
It was hard to believe that tuberculosis, a disease easy to detect and treat today, will resurface as a global health problem at the end of the 20th century, said Milosavljevic.
Years of non-investment, obsolete equipment and unmotivated workers have brought the Serbian health sector to its knees, the Minister went on to say, adding that although much has been done to refurbish medical equipment and repair hospitals in the past year, it is necessary to change key laws in the sector, introduce health chambers, define the level of health care protection and design a strategy for preventing a number of diseases, including tuberculosis.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around two billion people, or one third of the entire population in the world is infected with tuberculosis. Around eight million new cases of tuberculosis and two million deaths are being reported every year. Over 90 percent of tuberculosis patients live in developing countries, with 75 percent of the infected aged between 15 and 45.
WHO, which declared tuberculosis a global health problem, has introduced the DOTS tuberculosis control strategy. DOTS combines five elements including political commitment, microscopy services, drug supplies, surveillance and monitoring systems, as well as use of highly efficacious regimes with direct observation of treatment.
The national commission on tuberculosis has drafted a national programme for tuberculosis control and treatment in Serbia, in line with the WHO guidelines. According to the programme, the number of tuberculosis patients in Serbia has been on the rise since 2000, with 37 in 1,000 people infected with the disease.
Implementation of the national programme and DOTS aims to reduce the rate of tuberculosis infection and increase treatment rate over the next five years.
-
Belgrade/Budapest, 17 May 2024Friendly relations between Serbia, Hungary reaffirmed
-
Belgrade, 15 May 2024Agreement on revitalisation of complex of former federal defence secretariat signed
-
Novi Sad, 14 May 2024Partnership cooperation with EU on strengthening capacity of judicial authorities
-
Belgrade, 14 May 2024Serbia remains committed to European path
-
Belgrade, 14 May 2024Agreements for second phase of biomass market development project in Serbia signed
-
Belgrade, 13 May 2024BIO4 campus, AI development in Serbia presented to Harvard University students
-
Belgrade, 10 May 2024Serbia committed to cherishing traditionally good relations with UAE
-
Belgrade, 10 May 2024Serbia highly appreciates support of Greece on its European path
-
Belgrade, 10 May 2024Relations between Serbia, Russian Federation in spirit of traditional friendship
-
Belgrade, 10 May 2024Great possibilities for expansion of cooperation between Serbia and Mexico