Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The shortage of tuberculosis medicines is turning grave in the state as most of the districts including Indore and Bhopal are on the brink of a healthcare crisis with only seven days' worth of medication left in stock.
The shortage of essential medicines has escalated fears among about 60,000 active TB patients who rely on regular treatment to manage their condition. The looming crisis has forced the health authorities to distribute only four days medication to the patients in place of month's medication, exacerbating concerns about treatment interruptions and the potential for serious health consequences,
"We are only left with seven days of TB medicines in the stock. We are getting interrupted supply from the state. We were asked to procure the medicines at the local level but it is short in the market as well," Dr Shailendra Jain, district TB officer; Indore, told Free Press.
He added that Indore has 2,700 active patients they are getting limited supply from the state and mitigating the situation by giving less medicines from the swiftly exhausting stock. Officials of Manorama Raje TB Hospital claimed that they only have medicines for IPD patients available.
Meanwhile, a senior health official, wishing anonymity said, most of the districts have same situation as only few have the stock of 10 days. "Department has already given an order of 2.30 lakh stripes to two suppliers and they have assured to supply at least 30,000 stripes in a week," the official said.
Meanwhile, state TB officer Dr Varsha Roy denied to comment on the situation excusing her being on leave.
The timing of the shortage is particularly alarming as India plans to become TB-free by 2025. The persistent challenges in the medicine supply chain pose a significant obstacle to this ambition, with the number of TB patients continuing to rise annually.
