Nearly 1,400 Tuberculosis Patients Died in Gandaki Province Over Past Year Amid Stigma Challenges

Pokhara. Nearly 1,400 tuberculosis patients have died in Gandaki Province in the last year alone. Out of 2,801 individuals confirmed with tuberculosis in Gandaki last year, 1,390 lost their lives. Health workers suggest that timely testing and regular medication intake are crucial as the risk is higher for individuals with low immunity.

Although the Nepal government aims to eradicate tuberculosis by 2050, stakeholders state that finding hidden patients in the community and ending social discrimination remain significant challenges. According to Santosh Paudel, Program Officer at the Provincial Disease Control Office, Gandaki, 1,453 new TB patients were found in the province in just the first eight months of the current fiscal year. The number of males is higher among these cases: 902 males and 551 females were confirmed infected.