Gov. Roel Degamo said he will support the campaign of the Philippine Tuberculosis Society Incorporated and the Linking Initiatives Networking to Control Tuberculosis in Negros Oriental.

He said the province is committed to work with private sector and non-government organizations, especially on health programs.

The governor is thankful that Negros Oriental is one of the recipient provinces for combating the reduction of tuberculosis diseases. Based on records, TB is still one of the top 10 diseases that cause mortality and morbidity in the Negros Oriental.

Dr. Socrates Villamor of the DOH in Negros Oriental said early detection is the best option for easy cure of the disease.

Degamo said the health program is one of his priority concerns and that he is strongly supporting the Provincial Health Insurance of Negros Oriental. 

Members of PHINO can avail of free health services at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City, and can avail of big discounts on diagnostic and laboratory tests.

The PTSI is now working on TB referral network with accredited pharmacies in Negros Oriental. The pharmacist and pharmacy assistants are trained to identify possible TB patients. 

The campaign encourages the pharmacists to refer patients to TB-DOTS center before giving them anti-TB medicines.

Area manager Elayne Ogatis of TB LINC said they are grateful for the support of Degamo especially that the program will end in June 2011. The program is funded by United States Agency International Development.

The program aims to reach the reduction of TB cases by at least 50 percent in 2015 in line with the Millennium Development Goal.*MA

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