Implementer: Interactive Research & Development

Site: The Indus Hospital (Karachi), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (Karachi), Institute of Chest Diseases (Kotri), Gulab Devi Hospital (Lahore)

Pakistan has a high TB and MDR-TB burden, with one of the highest incidence of MDR-TB cases in the world: 14000 estimated RR/MDR-TB cases among notified TB cases in 2016. The national TB drug resistance prevalence survey was conducted in 2012-2013 after which MDR-TB estimates are 4.2% among new TB Cases and 16% among retreatment TB cases (WHO Global TB Report, 2017). 

Nationally, Programmatic Management of Drug-resistant TB (PMDT) started as a pilot in 2010 at 3 hospitals. Currently there are 27 functional sites with good geographical coverage. In 2016, 2881 MDR-TB patients were started on treatment in the country. The treatment success rates among the 2012 enrolled cohort were 71% for MDR-TB cases and 32% for XDR-TB cases.