Drug resistant TB centres Mandatory for Medical College Recognition: Health Ministry tells MCI

New Delhi: Soon medical colleges might have to set up drug-resistant tuberculosis centres to get recognised.

The Health Ministry has written a letter to the MCI proposing that drug-resistant tuberculosis centres should be made mandatory in medical colleges for them to get recognised.

HT reports that in a letter to the MCI last month, health secretary Preeti Sudan requested the MCI to “incorporate the obligatory requirement of establishing DR-TB centre for treatment initiation of DR-TB patients as per revised national TB control programme guidelines at each medical college for recognition of medical college”.

"The move is aimed at helping patients suffering from drug-resistant TB get treatment at the nearest facility," a senior Health Ministry official told PTI.

According to the Health Ministry data, incidence of tuberculosis was estimated to be 217 per lakh population in 2015 which reduced to 211 per lakh population in 2016.

The government had recently rolled out a daily drug regimen for the treatment of TB under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) across all states under which patients are being given fixed drug combinations (FDCs), three or four drugs in a single pill, on a daily basis instead of thrice a week.

Taking stock of the Tuberculosis Control Program, Health Minister J P Nadda had urged all stakeholders to come together for an aggressive strategy for tuberculosis-free India by 2025.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Centre has decided to rope in chemists and druggists to strengthen the mechanism of notifying tuberculosis incidence to authorities concerned, and if they or a health establishment fail to do so, it would attract penal action, including imprisonment and fine.

Read Also : Attention Doctors, Chemists: Notify TB or GO TO JAIL