NEW DELHI: In a move to curb multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cases caused mostly because of irregular medication, the government has decided that relevant medicines will be available for free at all chemist shops and corporate hospitals.
The scheme will be rolled out across the country by next March. A patient, confirmed positive for TB by a qualified doctor, simply needs to register with the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP).
The patient will then be issued a unique ID which will have all information on medicines prescribed and the dosage.
"Any hospital or chemist shop will be able to give the medicine to him/her as per the treatment schedule, which will be available online. The government will bear all costs," said Dr Jagdhish Prasad, director general of health services (DGHS).
The government presently spends about Rs 250 crore on providing free medicines to TB patients. The new scheme will cost about Rs 100 crore more.
"We are in talks with manufacturers of the medicines and hospital groups to finalise the modality for reimbursement," Prasad said.
India reports 15 lakh new cases of TB every year. About one in six deaths among adults aged 15-49 are caused by TB. Nearly 10,000 cases of multi-drug resistant are estimated to occur annually.
TB was declared a notifiable disease in May this year, making it compulsory for all private doctors, caregivers and clinics treating a patient of this air-borne disease to report the case to the government.
"About 1.5 million people are registered with our DOTS (directly observed therapy centres). But data shows 10-17% of these patients tend to miss their regular dosage either because they are working or they do not want to travel to the centres to get the medicine, leaving the treatment module incomplete and ineffective and also exacerbating the risk of multi-drug resistance in them. Many cannot buy medicines due to lack of money," said the official.
A workshop involving top researchers and TB experts is being held to develop the standard model for TB treatment. "There is disparity in prescription of drugs among the private practitioners and the DOTS module, which is WHO approved. We need to address that too," Prasad said.
Dr Sarman Singh, professor of clinical microbiology at AIIMS, said while the idea of free distribution of medicines is welcome, strict monitoring will be required to ensure that needy patients get it and it is not misused.
Get TB drugs at shops free, govt to pay up
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Get TB drugs at shops free, govt to pay up
