On March 24, the world celebrated Tuberculosis Day. In Nepal, 45,000 people contract the disease every year, and 10,000 of them fall through the cracks in the government’s free treatment scheme. The government bears 20 per cent of the cost of antibiotics DOTS treatment, while donor agencies pay the rest.
Rajendra Prasad Pant of the Nepal Tuberculosis Center (NTB) says infected people miss out on treatment because they live in remote areas, are not diagnosed or are not aware of the symptoms. Some are diagnosed but don’t want treatment because of the stigma of being a TB patient. Misuse of antibiotics is giving rise to Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis. Up to 70 per cent of Nepalis are carriers of the TB bacillus even though they may not show symptoms. The disease manifests itself when a person’s immune system is down, for example when they are HIV positive. The main challenge for the government is to reach those who are missing out on treatment.