As much as tuberculosis is a challenge for the country, the health workers remained determined to play active roles in the prevention and treatment of patients with TB. Globally, there were 10.8 million incident cases of TB and 1.25 million TB-related mortality in 2023. In Bhutan, there were 864 cases of TB in 2023. The Central Regional Referral Hospital provided care to 48 cases of drug susceptible TB and 11 cases of multi-drug resistant TB in 2024. CRRH is one of the three hospitals that are designated centers for the treatment of MDR TB.
The theme for World TB Day 2025 was โ Yes! We can End TB: Commit, Invest and Deliver. To celebrate the Day, a hybrid symposium on TB was conducted on 26 March 2025. The symposium was attended by 41 participants offline and 14 participants online.
The symposium included 5 presentations. Ms Dorji Dema, TB Ward Incharge provide a brief introduction to TB and TB treatment set up at our hospital. Dr Thinley Dorji, Physician, presented on the clinical diagnosis and management of TB based on the National TB Guideline 2024. Mr Pema Lhendup, TB Lab Incharge presented on TB diagnostic modalities available at our hospital. Dr Sangay Wangchuk, Physician with additional training in TB, presented on anti-tubercular therapy and monitoring. The symposium included a presented by Dr Nar Bahadur Rai, Emergency Physician, on his research on the epidemiological risk factors of poor treatment outcomes in Sarpang Dzongkhag. This was an interactive session bringing all relevant clinical departments together to discuss how best the hospital can position itself to meet the goals of ending TB by 2030.
