Health Workers in Papua New Guinea Province Complete TB Training Course

Last week, 22 health workers in Papua New Guinea's Chimbu province completed a week-long training course on tuberculosis and DOTS administration, the PNG Post Courier reports. The national TB program of the country's Department of Health provided funding for the course.

The course provided training on TB case identification, treatment, patient assistance and pediatric care. Margaret Kal, a physician who helped lead the training course, said controlling TB requires political will from all levels of the government. She added that effective TB programs should ensure access to a laboratory, a constant supply of medication, and effective monitoring and evaluation measures. According to Kal, current TB treatment regimens in Papua New Guinea involve four daily pills of fixed-dose combination treatments, compared with earlier regimes that involved 14 drugs per day (Koma, PNG Post Courier, 2/11).