India’s first lab for multi-drug resistant TB tests

Ahmedabad The country’s first Intermediate Reference Laboratory for testing multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis patients became operational at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Thursday. All the tests will be done free of cost.

Till now, a partial multi-drug resistant test was being done at the TB Research Centre, Chennai. It cost the patient Rs 1.35 lakh and took him four and a half months for diagnosis alone.

The test that can give results in 24 hours will directly benefit 20 per cent of the total 6.5 lakh TB patients across the state. The rapid testing and treatment will be helpful in reducing the mortality among MDR patients.

The State TB Training and Research Centre at the Civil Hospital has been accredited by the Central government and the TB Research Centre, Chennai as an Intermediate Reference Laboratory with bio-safety level III and negative pressure room facility for the testing to be done locally now.

The MDR TB specialty lab has been developed as a partnership project between the Geneva-based Foundation ‘Innovative New Diagnostics’ and the Centre with an investment of Rs 50 lakh.

“The project fell into Gujarat’s kitty after having successfully implemented the pilot project at Chanasama in Patan taluka of Mehsana district under the Revised National Tuberculosis Programme (RNTCP) with Directly Observed Treatment strategy (DOTS). In 2004, the project was expanded to the entire state,” said Jay Narayan Vyas, state Health Minister.

“With the single-day test being possible here, a large number of patients can be tested and put on treatment without wasting time in sending samples to Chennai,” said state Health Secretary Ravi Saxena.

Moreover, he added, “patients are not required to come to give the sample. The LPAPCR sample can be collected at the nearest district level centres, including Public Health Centers (PHCs) and cultured and determined rapidly”.

While Gujarat has 5,000 identified MDR patients, a total of 6.5 lakh TB patients and 25,000 new patients are reported every year.

According to government data, over 2.70 lakh patients under DOTS treatment were tested positive for MDR Tuberculosis this year.

Every one and a half minute, TB accounts for one death across the country.