BAGUIO CITY – Medical officers of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) disclosed that ninety percent of patients undergoing the stringent 6-month tuberculosis (TB) treatment have been declared as cured and completed.
Dr. Larry Haya, Medical Specialist 2 of the BGHMC Department of Internal Medicine, said there is a significant increase in the number of patients seeking TB treatment from the hospital primarily due to the information given to the prospective patients that TB is curable plus the fact that the treatment provided them is free.
Last year, there were 90 patients that were treated for tuberculosis while the number of patients increased to 140 this year because of the sustained information and education campaign by health authorities for people suffering from TB to avail of the free medical treatment being provided by the government through the BGHMC.
“We continue to encourage the people suffering from two weeks of continuous cough to immediately seek medical attention from the nearest health facility so that they will be provided with the appropriate diagnosis and to detect whether or not they are suffering from tuberculosis,” Haya stressed.
The BGHMC medical specialist advised the public not to take for granted their continuous cough, thus, the need for them to seek medical consultation once their cough extends beyond the 2-week period.
According to him, people should not wait for their situation to worsen before seeking the needed medical treatment because it is still best for the tuberculosis ailment of the public to be given immediate medical attention.
Haya also urged those undergoing the 6-month tuberculosis medication to strictly adhere to the stringent medication process for them to be declared as cured and their treatment as completed that will translate to their being issued the necessary clean bill of health.
He reminded the public that tuberculosis is curable provided that patients will comply with the regulations of their medication once they will be required to undergo the 6-month medication for them to fully recover from their illness and return to their regular routine.
Haya attributed the increasing number of tuberculosis patients seeking medical attention from the health facility to the awareness of the people on the free TB medication provided to the patients and the aggressive campaign of the health department to encourage TB patients to already seek medication from the nearest health facility in their places.
TB can be transmitted from an infected individual through droplets emanating from the infected individual, thus, the need for TB patients to be cautious in interacting with non-uninfected persons to whom they deal with.
Haya expressed confidence that the number of TB patients being cured will continue to increase in the coming months for them to improve their treatment rate from 90 percent to even higher although there are still patients who are not fully cured due to various internal and external factors.
By Dexter A. See
