Tuberculosis in Nepal: Ending the disease needs proactive local-level initiatives

To reach the point to make tuberculosis preventable and curable, Nepal took decades. Yet even after six decades of work and with the success seen in the awareness of the disease, Nepal is still struggling to eliminate it completely. The situation is concerning as almost half the population are infected with tuberculosis in Nepal whereas it is in the top 10 causes of death .

The National Tuberculosis Control Center ( NTCC ) at Madhyapur Thimi came into existence in 1989 and since then has organised and overseen many nationwide programmes to detect, treat and cure tuberculosis as well as conducted various awareness programmes. Its new Director Sanjay Kumar Thakur took over the leadership role just about a month ago but has more than 25 years of experience working in the remotest parts of Nepal, from the time when the disease was shrouded in stereotypes.