ISLAMABAD:The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders has urged to create more awareness on Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) to protect citizens from carrying this disease.
“Considering a significant increase in patients, there is a need for widespread awareness on CL so that patients can prevent themselves from the bites of the sandfly, and the patients can seek early diagnosis and treatment,” said Katrin Mielck, MSF Project Coordinator in Quetta, in a press release issued here on Monday.
“It is essential that people can have access to effective and safe treatment free of cost where they live in order to properly tackle the prevalence of the disease,” she said. “The treatment is not widely available and it is often expensive, however, CL is a curable disease.”
The MSF, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, runs three diagnoses and treatment centers of CL in Quetta district including the Health Centre in Kuchlak, Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and Bolan Medical Complex (BMC), where there are currently 1,067 patients under treatment.
“In 2022 alone, our teams have screened 8,391 patients for CL and 4,678 people started their treatment in Quetta, while in total 11,424 people were screened and 6,688 patients were enrolled in the treatment in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Balochistan,” Katrin informed.
The MSF is the largest healthcare provider of CL treatment in Balochistan province, and its services are completely free of cost.
The disease is caused by a parasite transmitted by the bite of a sandfly and appears in the form of a small lesion. Although CL is generally not life-threatening, it can cause severe physical disfigurement that could lead to stigmatization and discrimination, with deep psychological suffering.
These government centres in Quetta, supported by MSF, provide diagnosis, specialized treatment, safe and effective medication, wound care, and health education about the disease, its treatment and prevention. MSF also provides mental health support to patients suffering from CL.
In collaboration with health authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the MSF is providing medical care for CL, including mental health support. In Balochistan, MSF is the major diagnosis and treatment provider for the disease at three locations in the Quetta district.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, MSF is delivering medical services for the diagnosis and treatment of CL in Naseerullah Khan Baber Memorial hospital in Peshawar.
In October 2021, in order to expand medical care for people in the region, the MSF opened satellite clinics in Badaber Rural Health Centre and the Telaband basic health unit.
The Médecins Sans Frontières is an international medical humanitarian association that delivers emergency aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, and natural disasters.
The MSF started working in Pakistan in 1986 and now provides urgently needed quality medical care to people in Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh province.