When you talk about tuberculosis, you are talking about a real but growing problem. Organizations working to combat this infection in the country expressed concern about a possible shortage of medicines.
Tuberculosis is the thirteenth cause of death worldwide and, according to the WHO, the deadliest infectious disease after COVID-19.
In 2022, 17,460 cases were reported in Colombia. The number is expected to increase by 2023 due to the pandemic.
“The number of tuberculosis diagnoses has increased worldwide, probably because there were cases that could not be diagnosed in time, which led to more infections in the population.” In Colombia, for example, we were around 15,000 cases per year, in 2022 However, there are more than 17,000 cases. Therefore, tuberculosis is a complicated problem that requires hard work in diagnosis and treatment,” said Jairo Pérez, infectologist of the ACIN Mycobacteria Committee.
Due to the increase in cases, demand for drugs has increased and there would be delays in centralized purchasing, according to the Social Tuberculosis Observatory, which brings together nearly 20 organizations working to improve the response to this public health problem Ministry of Drugs.
Hannah Henao, technical secretary of the Social Tuberculosis Observatory, commented: “I understand that this is coming from India and of course the issue of nationalization takes some time.” “This delay solves the various pathogens faced by tuberculosis in the country , concern.”
In view of this situation, the Ministry of Health assured in a statement that it guarantees the treatment of tuberculosis patients. In addition, they stated that they have distributed and continue to distribute medicines from the PAHO strategic fund or through donations from countries such as Chile and India.
“Great efforts are needed so that centralized purchasing occurs as quickly as possible so that no patients are left without treatment,” emphasized infectious disease specialist Jairo Pérez.
The regulator assures that behind this delay in the purchase of medicines lies the delay in the appointment of the coordinator of the national tuberculosis program in the ministry.
A person who has to stop treatment for tuberculosis is at risk of worsening of their condition, as well as the risk of developing treatment-resistant strains and increased transmission to other people.
