More than 12 thousand TB patients, shortage of medicines

Bhopal (Team Newsbuddy: More than 12 thousand patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB) in Madhya Pradesh are in trouble due to the depletion of stock of medicines. The supply of medicines in the state has come to a complete halt. The shortage of TB medicines started in government hospitals from February itself. For some time, the work continued in the hospitals somehow, but for the last one month the medicine has been completely exhausted. Health department officials say that all the Chief Medical and Health Officers of the state have been instructed to purchase at the local level. There is a shortage of TB medicine not only in the state but across the country. The medicines given to TB patients are supplied by the TB Division of the Central Government. Medicines are not being supplied from there itself. There are 12,730 TB patients in Madhya Pradesh, who are undergoing treatment. More than half of these patients are such whose treatment is in the primary stage. Patients are reaching the hospital for medicines but they have to return empty handed. Medicine is not available in the market as well.

Stopping medicine is dangerous

The expert says that TB is such a dangerous disease that medicine cannot be stopped in between. Medicines which last from six months to two years in different categories are given according to the weight of the patient. If there is a gap in the medicine, then the patient can also develop drug resistant TB, which can be very dangerous. TB patients have to take medicine on an empty stomach. If there is a long gap between the courses, the patients are followed up again. On the basis of the follow up test report, the course of the patients starts again, which can also be of six months.

Disease spreading to others

Doctors say that TB disease is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a disease spreading from one person to another. It quickly engulfs those people whose immunity is weak.