E-DRUG: Therapy flaw lets loose TB carriers in India (2)
Hi,
For the continuing rampage of TB, add to the list of causes - non availability, non accessibility and non affordability of anti TB medicines. The much hyped multidrug DOTS treatment is not available to the marginalised population who really need them.
During a field visit of participants of "Promiting Rational Use of Medicines in the Community" to Community Centre Hospital at Jaipur, India, it was found that TB patients were not getting the DOTS treatment which is supposed to be given free. Rather prescriptions were being issued for the same medicines and the govt medicines for TB were available in private phramacy shops right outside the hospital on payment! The affording power of TB patients being less, they were not buying the full dose and it was found that they were buying some doses, whatever they could afford. We can imagine the contribution of this to further growth of MDR TB.
Dr Vijay Thawani
Nagpur
India.
vijaythawani@rediffmail.com
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