Pasig LGU to offer week-long free chest x-ray service for TB detection
The Pasig City Health Department will be offering free chest x-ray services to citizens from Monday, April 18 to Friday, April 22, as part of the active case finding (ACF) initiative for early detection of tuberculosis (TB) in the city.
ACF will enable the local health department to conduct more accessible and convenient TB examinations in communities amid the on-going Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTCP) of the Department of Health (DOH), ACF targets high-risk populations namely the urban and rural poor, and those in workplaces with high exposure to "pollutant particles and fumes".
The program was made in partnership with the DOH, Tricycle Operation And Regulatory Office( TORO), the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), and non-government organization (NGO), Culion Foundation, Inc.
The screenings will be at the Pasig Palengke Terminal on Monday, April 18; the Rosario Daycare in Westbank, Brgy. Rosario on Tuesday, April 19; and the Ilaya Multipurpose Hall in Brgy. Santolan on Wednesday, April 20.
In Brgy. Pinagbuhatan, screenings will take place at the Damayan Covered Court on Thursday, April 21, and the PPCTODA Pinalad Terminal on Friday, April 22.
All screenings will start from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
TB is an airborne infection caused by the "mycobacterium tuberculosis" bacteria that affects an individual's lungs and other body parts.
As of 2020, the Philippines logged around 591,000 total TB incidences, as per the World Health Organization (WHO).
The NTCP-DOH recorded 340,524 notified drug-sensitive (DS) and drug-resistant (DR) TB cases in 2021.
According to the WHO Global TB report 2021, TB services in the country were adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, noting a 37 percent drop in annual notifications between 2019 to 2020.
Annual notifications refer to individuals' access to TB diagnosis and treatment, considering the capacity of local governments to provide services, and individuals' willingness for screening and treatment amid the stigma against TB and other challenges posed by the pandemic.