DRUG-RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS: A CHALLENGE IN THE LAST LAP?

India aims to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025, but drug-resistant strains pose a formidable challenge. Explore healthcare leaders’ views and potential solution approaches they offer—in this report.

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India bears the world's highest burden of tuberculosis (TB), accounting for 27 percent of the global TB cases and 34 percent of global TB deaths. Despite significant efforts, achieving TB elimination remains a complex challenge on the ground.

Dr Viswesvaran Balasubramanian, Senior Consultant - Interventional Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda, Hyderabad describes the multifaceted challenges: "The challenges include limited access to healthcare in certain regions, further complicated by the stigma associated with the disease and inadequate public awareness.” He says that broader societal issues like poverty, malnutrition, and crowded living conditions contribute to the complexity of TB management, creating an environment conducive to transmission and contributing to the complexity of TB management in the country.