BHUBANESWAR : Odisha government has urged the Centre to streamline supply of anti-tuberculosis drugs to the state under National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).
In a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh L Mandaviya on Monday, state Health Minister Niranjan Pujari stated since February last year, there has been an inadequate supply of anti-TB drugs from the Central TB division, the government of India, which has adversely affected implementation of the programme in the state.
Pujari said state authorities have indented the drugs as per their requirement from time to time but supply of the same from Centre has been grossly inadequate. “An attempt was made by the state to procure anti-TB drugs locally but the same was unsuccessful due to non-availability of the drugs in the local market,” he wrote.
TB drugs are also out of stock at several district headquarters hospitals. Although the director of public health and mission director of National Health Mission have brought the matter to the notice of the Centre several times this year and in 2023, there has been no respite from the medicine crisis. Pujari urged Mandaviya to urgently look into the matter and take steps for early supply of TB drugs to the state.
The drugs are supplied by the Centre under the National TB Elimination Programme. Odisha is at present ranked second in the country in terms of TB notification and the state has over 50,000 patients under treatment.
Earlier this month, The New Indian Express published a report on acute shortage of TB drugs in the state.