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Chronic patients of Tuberculosis are in problem due to lack of medicine. Patients using Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) which is distributed nationwide by National Tuberculosis Centre, Bhaktapur have their life at stake due to its scarcity.

For the effective treatment of Tuberculosis, Nepal has started a short term treatment in which the patients take prescribed medicines for nine months and injections for 4 to 6 months. If the normal medicines don’t work on the patients then they are given Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) under the name of ‘Canamicil’. Shortage of Canamicil is risky for the life of those patients.

Patients complain about the ignorance of the Centre’s management. Even after reaching out to the Centre Chief, there has been no progress.

The government distributes these medicines for free yet the patients are unable to treat themselves. According to a doctor working at the National Tuberculosis Centre, lack of ‘Canamicil’ is creating problem but the Centre’s management isn’t serious regarding its fulfillment.A patient needs to use this medicine for 5 months with a dose of 6 injections per week. If not treated on time it leads the patients to SDR after which their treatment is impossible. This medicine is used when the patient is in a chronic stage.

The medicine had finished in November. Damien Foundation Belgium had sent 3200 pieces which was also finished within 18days. ‘The particular medicine has been slowly phasing out since the company has reduced its production. Instead of it the Centre has ordered a medicine named “Amikacin” from India, said Sagar Kumar Rajbhandari, Director of National Tuberculosis Centre.

There is a need of 16 thousand medicines out of which only 4 to 5 thousand is brought at once. A single injection of ‘Canamicil’ costs three dollars but the government distributes it for free and is not found in the medical shops.

Ramesh Giri