Seven out of ten estimated new cases of tuberculosis are identified and treated every year in Nepal. Thirty thousand people are on DOTS, the lengthy course of treatment where patients are supervised while they take their medicine to ensure they are completely cured.

The Nepal National Tuberculosis Program continues to offer free drugs at all hospitals and treatment centers around the country. In order to reach more people, health management committees have been formed in every village in Nepal. Global Fund support ensures DOTS is available at all of those village health posts.

Multi-drug resistant TB cases are more challenging, both for patients and the organizations that are trying to help them.

That difficulty is in part due to the cost to patients of keeping a roof over their head while they follow the long and more complex treatment process to get cured (24 months compared to 6 to 8 months for TB). Many of the patients come from remote areas and have to rent rooms near the clinic for the entire two-year treatment period.

• For those patients who are able to work, such as Amar Bista, INF has a community rehabilitation component. The International Nepal Fellowship (INF) Center is providing a solution to their financial difficulties, in addition to administering treatment.
  
  
• Also, the availability of free MDR-TB drugs is often a matter of life or death for patients such as Geeta. Her expensive and long treatment is taken care of by INF, something her family could never have afforded.