City to distribute free TB medication

City to distribute free TB medication

JAKARTA: City administration officials launched on Friday a
free medication program for tuberculosis patients in the city's
329 community health centers.

Deputy Governor for Social Welfare Djailani said the program
was geared toward low-income patients.

"The disease also attacks productive-age people. So it could
affect poverty eradication efforts," Djailani, stated after a
ceremony which was also attended by Minister of Health Achmad
Sujudi.

Djailani revealed that the city's health centers and hospitals
had only treated 7,741 tuberculosis patients from a total of
12,540 TB sufferers in the city's five mayoralties.

He said the 2001 City Budget allocated Rp 5.3 billion (US$
530,000) to support the eradication of the disease. --JP