Strengthening infrastructure in management of drug resistant tuberculosis in India.

The emergence of resistance to first-line drugs used to treat tuberculosis (TB) has become a significant public health concern and an obstacle in implementation of effective TB control activities globally. In India, Revised National TB Control Program (RNTCP) introduced the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB (PMDT) services to address the needs of MDR-TB patients. To execute the plan with perfection, RNTCP has devised MDR suspect criteria - A, B, and C so that gradually PMDT services can be extended to the whole country. These criteria were framed to run in tandem with the strengthening of the laboratory services so that the existing certified laboratories can carry out the culture and DST services without being overburdened. Altogether, RNTCP is committed for the strengthening and capacity building of its resources to offer culture and DST services right at the time of diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]