Hospital in Clark Freeport opens TB center

The Medical City in Clark Freeport established a center that finds and treats tuberculosis patients, including children. (Contributed photo)

CLARK FREEPORT—The Medical City (TMC) Clark has opened a Tuberculosis Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (TB DOTS) Center here to help the Department of Health reduce the currently documented 66,000 TB cases in the Central Luzon region.

Inaugurated last Oct. 6, the TB DOTS Center’s goal is to “find and treat as many TB patients as possible.” Bacteria cause the disease.

“The center is our way of opening our doors to the community as part of our nation-building,” Dr. Jacqueline Angeles, TMC Clark Medical Director, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The TB medicines would be provided by DOH, TMC marketing and sales chief Evelyn Yumul told the Inquirer.

Based on community surveillance, the DOH regional office reckoned there could be more TB patients who do not seek medical help.

The United States Agency International Development has been providing GeneXpert technology to DOH, enabling the agency to detect TB, including the drug-resistant one in just hours instead of weeks.