Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has written to the Centre seeking supply of drug-sensitive Tuberculosis (DSTB) drugs on an urgent basis to Karnataka. This follows the Centre’s latest communication asking the State to procure drugs locally for the next three months. As the communication has been made after the model code of conduct (MCC) came into force, the State is finding it hard to procure the required quantity of drugs, the Minister said.
(For top health news of the day, subscribe to our newsletter Health Matters)
In a letter to the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Mr. Rao has pointed out the frequent interruption in the supply of anti-TB drugs to Karnataka is affecting thousands of TB patients .“While there has been frequent interruption in the supply of anti-TB drugs to Karnataka since 2021, recently, Karnataka has received two communications from the Centre asking the State to procure DSTB drugs for the next three months . The second communication has been made after the model code of conduct came into effect,” he said in the letter.
Karnataka notifies more than 80,000 patients annually and around 6,800 TB patients on a monthly basis. As these patients need to be provided continuous treatment, the State has intensified its efforts to procure anti-TB drugs both at the State and the district level. A letter from Mission Director, National Health Mission, has also been sent to the Union Joint Secretary (RCH) regarding permission for utilising the approved Record of Proceedings (ROP) of 2024-2025 to procure these medications..
The Health Department has requested the State Finance Department to provide additional funds for procuring the drugs, the Minister said.
Drugs not available
“However, neither these medications are available in the quantities required by the State nor the procurement process can be hastened in view of both its manufacturing process as well as the prevailing MCC. While I do not wish to accuse the Union government of callousness, I have to point out that State support for the TB patients has been jeopardised by this action of the Centre. Both the delayed communication to procure a critical drug (whose procurement is problematic in the short run) and also issuing the communication during MCC have adversely affected the efforts of the State government in this regard. Under these circumstances, the Union government has an obligation to respond immediately and support the State to keep up the supply of critical drugs to the TB patients at a required level,” he said in the letter.
“Hence, I request you to instruct the officials concerned to supply first line anti-TB drugs on an urgent basis to the State. We hope the Union government recognises the adverse effects of its decision and adopts a course correction immediately, to avoid thousands of TB patients being put to hardship,” the letter added.
