National Tuberculosis Control Programme (NTP) Consultant Dr Mojibur Rahman today said multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is still a big challenge to control in the country due to diagnosis related difficulties.
“Though the government’s success in tuberculosis treatment is praiseworthy, due to diagnosis related difficulties multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is still a big challenge to control,” he said while presenting the keynote paper at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club conference room here, BSS reports.
Health and Family Welfare Ministry, NTP and BRAC organised the press conference marking the World Tuberculosis Day-2015 with the theme “Reach the 3 Million-Reach, Treat, Cure Everyone”.
Dr Rahman said there is insufficient Gene Xpert machine in the country to diagnose the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Besides, he said, the treatment of MDR TB is costly, so that many patients could not afford to continue taking medicines.
The NTP consultant Dr Rahman said a total of 1, 91, 155 tuberculosis patients were diagnosed through NTP in 2014.
“Some 3699 MDR TB patients have been brought under treatment till 2014,” he added.
NTP Line Director Dr Md Ahmed Hussain Khan, National Professional Officer of WHO (World Health Organization) Viqarunnesa Begum, Adviser to NTP on Global Fund and MDR-TB Dr Abdul Hamid Selim, ICDDR and B Principal Investigator Dr K Zaman, among others, attended the press conference.
