GHAZNI CITY - Local health officials on Tuesday said 1,600 people, half of them women, have been diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in southern Ghazni province.
Provincial public health director Dr. Zahir Shah Nikmal told Pajhwok Afghan News 1,564 people, 65 percent of them, women in Ghazni suffered from TB.
“This is the number of patients who are registered with us and the number may be higher,” he said.
Nikmal said needed measures had been taken for prevention of the dangerous disease. However, he did not elaborate.
Zarmina, who is treated for TB at the Ghazni Civil Hospital: said: “I was coughing for several days, people told me to visit a doctor. When the doctor examined me, I was infected with TB.”  She said doctors had told her she was treatable.
Kamaluddin, a resident of Aab Band district, said people in their distrtict were in trouble due to the absence of clinics.
“We have been complaining to the officials concerned over the past several years to set up a clinic or hospital in our district, but no one helped,” he said.
He said people could not transfer their patients to Ghazni City or other areas for treatment due to clashes between militants and the Afghan forces on roads.
Mohammad Ullah, a resident of Giro district, said the healthcare center in their district had been closed for unknown reasons for the past seven years.
“Our patients most of the time seek God’s help, some of them recover but most die,” he said.
However, the provincial public health director said the TB diagnosis system was active in majority districts of the province.
Two major TB diagnosis centers were active in Ghazni city alone, he said. He confirmed problems in some areas and said efforts were underway to resolve them.
Two days back, health officials in Nangarhar said nearly 4,500 people were suffering from TB in the province. (Pajhwok)