Cuttack: The Centre March 13 launched a Tuberculosis-free India campaign under the National Strategic Plan to Eliminate Tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, five years ahead of the global target.
However, the Centre’s sincerity has come under a cloud after reports of unavailability of a life-saving TB drug surfaced.
The unavailability of Ethanamide, since May 8, has created a panic-like situation in the state.
Though it is now reported to have been dispatched from the Centre’s Central TB division and has reached the state Wednesday, but it will require another two days to be in patients’ possession.
The drug is particularly needed by the Category-IV TB patients as it is to be taken by them daily. Patients have alleged that negligence of the Centre has pushed them to the brink. It is the Centre’s responsibility to make the drug available to the states.
Preetiraj Nayak, a patient of Bhadrak district, has written to the Chief Minister, state Health Minister and state TB secretary in this regard.
However, Health minister Pratap Jena, when asked, said no such incident has come to his notice adding that he would look into the matter.
Indians living in absolute poverty or in remote areas, are often deprived of quality healthcare.
Voice of Patient (VoP), an organisation devoted to the well-being of TB patients, has conducted a survey in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, and found that there are more than 2,000 TB patients in the state, of whom 60 are under Ethanamide medication.
Bijaylakshmi Routray, director of VoP, said that due to the unavailability of Ethanamide, patients were turning to Monopas, but had to stop taking the substitute drug due to its severe side-effects.
TB disproportionately impacts the poorest and most marginalised sections of the society. In 2016, the disease killed 4,32,000 people in India, the highest in the world.
Instances of TB drugs doing the vanishing act are nothing new. Reportedly, in March last year, there were irregularities in the supply of Capreomycin injection. The supply was affected for around two months and then again in June and July.
Public health expert Tusharkanti Ray said patients have to bear the brunt of the erratic procurement and supply of TB drugs. An infallible logistics is imperative to ensure an adequate supply and efficient distribution of drugs, which otherwise will make the dream of TB-free India a Sisyphean task.