Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Aseefa Bhutto pledges to lead fight TB in country

Aseefa Bhutto

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has reaffirmed her commitment to combating Tuberculosis (TB) in Pakistan and on the global stage.

In a high-level meeting with the leadership of the Dopasi Foundation and a delegation of parliamentarians, led by Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, the discussion centered on addressing Pakistan’s TB burden and identifying solutions for closing persistent gaps in TB care, especially for underprivileged communities.

Parliamentarians in attendance included Dr Mehreen Bhutto, Sehar Kamran, Khursheed Junejo, and Musarat Rafique prominent voices in the fight against TB.

The meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on Pakistan’s progress since the United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB in 2023, while exploring new strategies to tackle ongoing challenges in TB notification and treatment.

In a landmark commitment, Assefa Bhutto Zardari announced her role as a champion for TB advocacy, pledging to lead national and international efforts.

“I am proud to lend my voice to the fight against TB. The fight against Tuberculosis is not just a health issue, but a matter of dignity and justice for the millions affected by this preventable disease. Together, we can create a future where no one is left behind, and every individual has access to the care and support they deserve,” she said.

During the meeting, she was briefed on the upcoming Regional Leaders’ Summit 2024 on TB and Climate Change and the TB Survivors event, where she graciously accepted the role of chair for the Survivors Event.

She vowed to advocate for the rights of TB survivors and push for equitable access to quality healthcare across all provinces.

She also praised the work of the End TB Parliamentary Caucus, led by Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, which is hosted by Dopasi Foundation in partnership with the Stop TB Partnership.

The initiative promotes cross-provincial collaboration to strengthen TB advocacy.

[embedpost slug=”pmdc-urges-universities-to-ensure-transparency-in-mdcat-exam”]

Read more

TB remains Pakistan’s top cause of death from infectious diseases: Shallwani

TB
  •  He was addressing high-level meeting on fight against tuberculosis at UN.
  • Shallwani showed concern over continued challenges being faced by health system.
  • He highlighted impact of COVID-19 pandemic on access to TB diagnosis.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Secretary Health Iftikhar Ali Shallwani expressed the need for intensified efforts backed by increased funding to mitigate and reverse the negative impacts of the pandemic on Tuberculosis (TB).

He was addressing the high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis at the United Nations Headquarters.

The Secretary, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination expressed deep concern over the continued challenges being faced by the current health systems, despite numerous scientific advancements. He highlighted the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to TB diagnosis and treatment and the burden of TB disease. He shared Pakistan’s progress in establishing more TB diagnostic centres and also expanding Lab network to diagnose TB cases, especially MDR-TB.

He mentioned being one of the largest TB burden countries Pakistan needs certain innovative approaches through private sector and CSO involvement for TB response sustainability and affordability. He emphasized that the need for action has become even more pressing in the context of ongoing conflicts, global energy crisis and associated impacts on food security, which are likely to further worsen some of the broader determinants of TB.

He highlighted that tuberculosis remains Pakistan’s top cause of death from infectious diseases and that Pakistan has the fifth highest TB burden globally. He underscored Pakistan’s commitment to the objectives set forth in the 2018 Political Declaration on Tuberculosis by pointing out Pakistan’s achievements in the field of TB prevention, diagnostic, treatment, and care services. He expressed support for the goals and targets set out in the Political Declaration adopted in today’s meeting.

He called upon the global community to expedite the development, widespread deployment, and accessible availability of an effective TB vaccine by the year 2025. He urged the member states to provide sustainable funding, quality, and equitable access to the latest preventive and treatment facilities, invest in TB research and innovation, and develop safe, effective, and accessible vaccines, particularly for drug-resistant TB, with equitable distribution of vaccines.

[embedpost slug=”pm-urges-appna-to-invest-in-pakistans-health-tourism-paramedical-training”]

Read more

WHO sounds alarm on TB fight funds

WHO

GENEVA: The world is spending nowhere near enough to revive the fight against tuberculosis after the Covid-19 crisis wiped out years of progress, the WHO said Monday. Ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on Thursday, the World Health Organization said global spending on TB diagnostics, treatments and prevention in 2020 was less than half of the global target … Read more

More than half a billion pushed into extreme poverty due to health costs: UN

UN

UNITED NATIONS: The coronavirus pandemic is likely to halt two decades of global progress towards Universal Health Coverage, according to reports released on Sunday from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank, which reveal more than half a billion people are being pushed into extreme poverty because they have to pay for health … Read more