By Rawlings Otieno
Public Health and Sanitation PS Mark Bor has called for arrest and prosecution of tuberculosis patients who infect other people knowingly with the deadly disease.
Bor said the Public Health Act stipulates that any person who defies taking medication on any illness should be secluded under the instruction of a magistrate.
“The Public Health Act allows health officials to arrest any person, who defies the doctor’s directive on the dosage for any communicable disease,” said Bor. The PS made the remarks at the official opening of Regional Course on Programmatic Management of TB/HIV and Drug Resistant TB at Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi on Monday.
Two diseases
Bor said that Africa carries the highest burden of TB in the world. He noted that Africa is the epicenter of the pandemic yet it is the region least able to cope with the demands of the two diseases because of lack of resources. “Our clientele has changed and so the approaches must remain dynamic and responsive,” added Bor. The PS said that there was an acute shortage of healthcare workers, who are well equipped to cope with emerging trends in managing TB and HIV-related illnesses.
The workshop that brings together participants from 13 English speaking countries will be on for six weeks. Participants will be trained on various ways of dealing with TB and HIV.
Bor urged participants to offer quality services to people they serve.
