6 TB patients in IGMH passed away in 2019-20

Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) has stated that six people receiving treatment for TB in the Maldives had passed away between 2019-20. 

A statement issued by IGMH on the occasion of World TB Day, which is celebrated on March 24 every year, read that TB is one of the ten diseases that kill the most people per percentage. The Hospital added that TB was given particular importance in treatment. 

The Hospital also noted the uninterrupted operations of the Respiratory Infectious Diseases and Diagnostic Unit since the center’s opening in 2018. IGMH noted that six patients receiving treatment for TB at the hospital had passed away between 2019-20 and that more than 993 TB consultations had been conducted by the center with 6,215 swab samples of saliva collected, and 2,098 gene-expert test samples also processed during the same period. 

Apart from these services the center also provided services such as ensuring the daily dosage of medications to TB patients, maintained stock of medications, conducted contact tracing of positive patients, conducted follow-ups after three months of being cured as well as testing samples, and preparing reports.  

IGMH added that the hospital was focused on the eradication of TB from the Maldives and increasing awareness regarding the disease. One of the main focuses of TB day is increasing awareness of the disease among the public. This year, the theme is “The Clock Is Ticking”. The idea behind the slogan is to remind world leaders and the public that the time to eradicate the disease was running out. 

TB is infected through bacteria and spreads through the air. The disease mostly infects the lungs.