Kathmandu, March 22

With the World Health Organisation eyeing to end tuberculosis by 2050, Nepal has ramped up its efforts to provide treatment for the disease across the country.

According to National Tuberculosis  Center, 32,379 new tuberculosis patients have been  added to the record recently. “Although the WHO has set the target for 2050, Nepal has managed to provide treatment to 93 per cent of TB patients till now,” said Dr Rajendra Panta, chief of Department of Health Services. Dr Panta added that nearly 8,000 TB patients have been left out from the recorded data. “It is crucial to bring them on record and that requires raising awareness,” remarked the doctor.

Dr Mohan Kumar Prasai, physician at Grande International Hospital, Kathmandu,  informed that Nepal began tackling tuberculosis in 2009 by launching country-wide treatment plan. “Treatment is now available in the hospitals across the country for free of cost. As many as 4,344 health care centers including hospitals, primary health care centres, health posts and  private health care centres are providing free treatment for the disease,” Dr Prasai said.