Pakistan: Acute shortage of TB drugs prolongs
June 13, 2016 - An acute shortage of tuberculosis (TB) drugs in Pakistan has now entered the seventh month and is adding to the misery of thousands of TB patients across the country, and posing serious risk of rapid rise in TB prevalence in Pakistan.
Mujeeb-ur-Rehman age 42 from Islamabad and diagnosed with TB a month back after finding it difficult to obtain all the needed TB drugs in Islamabad moved to Karachi for treatment. 'Unfortunately, in Karachi too there is severe shortage of TB drugs, and I have been advised to continue uninterruptedly medication for at least 6 months. I have no clue what to do about it,' added Mujeeb.
Mujeeb is just one example, and currently there are 5 persons among every 1000 in Pakistan that are afflicted with TB. The annual death rate is 38 per 100,000, which corresponds to 68,400 TB related deaths in Pakistan with the numbers of TB deaths expected to soar to 420,000 by the year 2020.
"There are four front line drugs to fight TB, Isoniazid(H), Rifampicin(R), Pyrazina-mide(Z), Ethamb-utol(E) and Streptomycin(S). If any one of these drugs is not taken, the treatment will have no affect. In the prevailing circumstances this could cause multi-drug resistant-TB strains. Irregular use of medicines is a major risk factor for rise of multidrug-resistant TB strains, the treatment of which is not only long and costly, but also painful," said Dr Javed, head of Pulmonology at the Agha Khan University Hospital.
"Shortage of TB drugs were first witnessed some 6-months back, but during the last 2-months the situation today is gravely critical. Letters were sent to the Health Ministry and Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA), but without any reply. Later, a letter was addressed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, on which its Human Rights Cell took notice and sought answers from the Health Ministry / DRAP and pharmaceutical companies," added Dr Javed.
Dr Javed further said, instead of rectifying the issue, the DRA and Health Ministry, misinformed the apex court about the ready availability and no shortage of TB drugs. The government imports TB drugs according to requirement of national TB control program and it considers the available stocks of TB drugs enough, while, completely ignoring the fact, that a sizable number of TB patients don't seek treatment at government-run hospitals.
"The cell asked for my comments on the stance of DRAP/pharma companies and I have submitted my response along with letters from major hospitals including (AKUH, Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi and Gulab Devi Hospital, Lahore), that confirming that the country faces serious shortage of anti-TB drugs," he added.
Dr Javed lamented that, apathy and non-seriousness on the part of DRAP is the primary reason behind the shortages of TB drugs. Let alone ending the TB drugs shortage, the concerned authorities have yet not even admitted to a shortage of TB drugs.
Pakistan currently is ranked 8th among TB stricken nations, and if the shortage of TB drugs continues it will be the biggest health crisis in Pakistan with the lives of countless patients at risk, and with alarmingly high prevalence of multi-resistant TB strains in the country.
Source: Business Recorder
