Starting next year, the Ministry of Health will introduce the shorter regimen for the treatment of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis or MDR TB in the three referral hospitals in the country. In this, the treatment period will be shortened from 20 months to nine to eleven months.
Currently, the ministry is in the process of developing guidelines for the shorter regimen treatment. The number of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis or MDR-TB increased to 55 last year from 49 cases in 2015. MDR TB is a form of tuberculosis that is resistant to primary drugs used for treatment. With the shorter regimen, the treatment is going to be a lot cheaper and effective.
“The drugs prescribed for shorter regimen is much easier and convenient for patients to consume on regular basis. In terms of treatment cost too, it comes to about Nu 67,000 while for longer regimen, its Nu 180,000,” said Chewang Rinzin, the Deputy(Dy) Chief Programme Officer. “The treatment adherence to patients will be improved thereby reducing the number of deaths. The cure rate by having shorter regimen comes to over 85 per cent which is good enough.”
MDR-TB is caused due to partial or irregular TB treatment, non-completion of the full course of TB treatment, no direct observed treatment, side effects of the medicines, and social or economic barriers. It is also caused if the person has HIV or suffers from diabetes. Under-nourished people and substance abusers can also get MDR-TB.
Some 15 patients will be treated in the first year of the implementation of the new treatment program.
