The drug-resistant TB Centre of Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATI) Complex was closed for the general public on the directives of ATI Director Dr Athar Lodhi on Tuesday.
The facility has been operational since 2012 and is funded by the National TB Control Programme. The closure of this vital centre, which is equipped with three laboratories, has irked the residents of the Hazara region.
The decision to shut down the centre, despite a formal directive from the Provincial TB Control Programme in October 2023 to allow it to be operated within the Ayub Teaching Hospital Complex premises, came as a surprise. The hospital administrator, accompanied by the security personnel, locked down the centre, ignoring the presence of valuable medicines worth millions of rupees.
A spokesperson for Ayub Medical Complex clarified that the TB centre is not affiliated with the hospital, and there is no formal agreement exists between the two entities.
He disclosed that the government has directed the allocation of a separate space for patients affected by diseases like Congo virus and others. Due to space constraints near the hospital, the drug-resistant TB centre has been forced to close. The administration had been duly notified prior to the closure, with assurances given that equipment could be relocated to another location as needed, the spokesperson added.
The closure of the drug-resistant TB centre has raised questions about access to essential healthcare services in the Hazara region.
Dr Sardar Shahid Wali, who is the head of the TB centre, disclosed that the facility operational since 2012 with approval from the then Chief Executive Officer at Ayub Medical Complex, had been funded by the National TB Control Programme.
He feared that the abrupt closure could lead to challenges in accessing medications, potentially forcing drug-resistant TB patients to restart their treatment in any other centre of the region.
Over 800 patients are benefiting from the centre in a month, receiving comprehensive services ranging from diagnosis to medication and treatment for drug-resistant TB, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2024.
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