| Syllabus: GS III, Subject: Science & Technology, Topic: Medical science and Health, Issue: Vaccine Administration in India |
Context: India is facing a TB drug shortage, affecting treatment for drug-sensitive TB.
Key issues in TB vaccination in India
- Delay in diagnosis and treatment initiation.
- Frequent shortage of TB drugs especially drug resistant T.B.
Impact:
- Non-availability of drugs contributes to non-adherence, affecting treatment success.
- Last-minute permission for local drug procurement creates challenge at field level.
- Patients may be forced to purchase medicines themselves.
Conclusion:
- Renaming the National TB Control Programme to National TB Elimination Programme without addressing drug availability issues reflects mismanagement.
| +1 advantage for mains(Data points)
·                Prime Minister has set the target to “eliminate TB by 2025” in 2018. ·                The Health Ministry launched the National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2017-2025 to achieve this goal. |
