APP
Bannu
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has opened a diagnostic and treatment centre in collaboration with the department of health for the patients of cutaneous leishmaniasis at the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital here.
The medical facility will provide fully free services for cutaneous leishmaniasis and would treat 250 to 300 patients every month, said a press release issued here.
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is parasitic tropical skin disease that is transmitted through the bite of a phlebotomines and fly. It is endemic in some parts of Pakistan and characterised by lesions on the exposed body part, such as the face, hands or feet.
Although not life threatening, the lesions could cause severe physical disfigurement, leading to stigma and discrimination.
MSF Country Representative Dr. Isabelle BRETON said at the inauguration ceremony of the CL treatment centre held at DHQ hospital, “We look forward to the work with all the stakeholders including department of health, local authorities and the community to provide the much needed care to the patients of leishmaniasis.
“We are happy to start services for CL in collaboration with the department of health. The centre will cater to the needs of cutaneous leishmaniasis patients from the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
According to WHO, in five years from 2014 to 2018, over all 184,915 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis were reported from Pakistan. In these years, there were more than 92,000 cases in whole of KP including the merged districts.
The first-line treatment for CL is meglumineantimoniate mostly known with its brand name Glucantime. It is not often available for the people. MSF also donated drugs to the department of health to respond to an outbreak of cutaneous leishmanaisis in 2019.
The new centre in Bannu is MSF’s second CL facility in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after its first centre in Naseerullah Khan Babar Memorial Hospital in Peshawar. Since its opening in May 2018, it received patients from more than 25 districts. The centre provided treatment to over 4500 patients of cutaneous leishmanaisis since its opening. MSF also has three other CL centres in Quetta, Balochistan.
“We are committed to providing quality care to the patients of this neglected tropical disease. The medical intervention by MSF supports the health system by providing CL patients the specialized treatment facilities, ensuring a steady supply of safe and effective medication, as well as increasing awareness about treatment and prevention,” Dr. Isabelle added.
Médecins Sans Frontières is an international medical humanitarian association that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare.
MSF first started working in Pakistan in 1986, and now provides urgently needed quality medical care to people in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces. MSF works in collaboration with the health authorities in the country, and its activities in Pakistan are funded solely by private donations, with no institutional or government contributions.
