NatPharm gets consignment of TB drugs from MSF

INTERNATIONAL medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), yesterday handed over a consignment of TB medication to the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) in a bid to lessen the burden caused by the disease.

Zimbabwe was among the top eight African countries in the World’s top 30 countries heavily burdened by TB, TB/HIV and multi-drug resistant TB with the most affected groups being women in the reproductive age group (15 years to 44 years) and men.

MSF country representative Dr Reinaldo Ortuno said the donation was part of MSF’s contribution to ending TB in Zimbabwe.

“We are happy that Zimbabwe continues to make huge strides in containing and raising awareness on TB, and we congratulate the country for its removal from the list of countries with a high TB burden,” he said.

The TB drugs donated include first-line treatment for drug sensitive TB and treatment for drug-resistant TB (DR).

For 11 years until 2017, MSF provided quality HIV/TB/DR-TB treatment, care and support to Zimbabwe and in 2018, MSF in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) supported the successful pilot of the short regimen treatment with injectable for DR-TB in Mutare.“Despite that we handed over these successful projects on HIV/TB/ DR-TB, we have continued to provide support and resources to MoHCC and this donation is part of that. We continue to work with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to provide health care, especially to vulnerable communities. MSF believes that health is a human right and that every person should have access to health services and medicines when they are in need,” said Dr Ortuno.