Qatar Committed to Supporting Global Efforts to Eradicate Tuberculosis

Doha, March 23 (QNA) - The Ministry of Public Health has underlined that marking the World Tuberculosis Day, which falls on March 24 each year, is an occasion to reaffirm the commitment of the State of Qatar to support and highlight global efforts to eradicate tuberculosis and mobilize commitment to accelerate progress in this area. The Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation and the Health Care Foundation, celebrates World Tuberculosis Day under the slogan "We need leaders for a world free of tuberculosis", a slogan adopted by the World Health Organization and the world's countries to raise awareness of the devastating health, social and economic consequences of the tuberculosis epidemic and to intensify efforts to eliminate the global epidemic. The theme of this year's World TB Day focuses on the role of the health sector and all partners in strengthening the commitment to eradicate tuberculosis at all levels. Dr. Hamad Eid Al Rumaihi, Director of Health Protection and Transitional Diseases at the Ministry of Public Health, said the elimination of TB is a priority for Qatar's public health strategy in line with the UN's sustainable development goals to eradicate tuberculosis by 2030. He added that the efforts of the Ministry of Public Health in cooperation with Hamad Medical Corporation and the Primary Health Care Corporation and related parties in the public and private sectors and civil society aim to raise awareness of the disease and provide comprehensive coverage of treatment and preventive services to early detection of the disease while providing the highest quality standards for these services. These services also include the medical checkup of all applicants for residency in Qatar, as well as the provision of medicines, laboratory tests and all types of radiographic imaging developed completely free of charge for all patients. These efforts have contributed to maintaining very low rates of tuberculosis in Qatar. Anti-TB drugs are provided under direct medical supervision in all cases, in addition to raising awareness of tuberculosis and prevention methods among citizens and residents through lectures, meetings and distribution of publications and others in different languages. The world celebrates World Tuberculosis Day on March 24 each year. The celebration aims to raise public awareness about the TB disease, which is classified as a pandemic in many countries of the world and responsible for the deaths of about 1.5 million people every year, most of them in developing countries. TB is classified as a contagious disease, usually affecting the lungs, and can spread to other parts of the body, such as the brain and spine. A bacteria known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes the disease. (QNA)