The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has issued a stark warning that a severe shortage of essential tuberculosis (TB) medications, especially for children, is crippling the country’s ability to combat its worsening TB crisis, potentially turning a curable disease into a death sentence.
On the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day 2026, the Pakistan Medical Association highlighted Pakistan’s grim status as the fifth most TB-affected country in the world, grappling with an estimated 686,000 new cases and 49,000 deaths annually.
In a press release, the PMA conveyed the dire situation faced by healthcare professionals and their patients. “It is a tragedy of our health system that on one hand, we talk about eradicating this epidemic, while on the other, standard TB drugs for adult patients are often unavailable, and the shortage of specific medicines for children is even more severe. We are failing our future generation.”
The statement concluded with the emphatic words, “You cannot win a war against bacteria without ammunition (medicines).”
The association pointed to several systemic failures hindering control efforts, including persistent disruptions in the supply chain for both first-line and multidrug-resistant TB treatments. The lack of functional and quality diagnostic facilities at the local level further complicates the issue.
According to the PMA, severe underinvestment in primary health centers, described as the cornerstone of TB diagnosis, has made it impossible to maintain modern molecular testing and other essential diagnostic capabilities.
Although the 2024-2026 National Strategic Plan sets major targets like a 35% reduction in mortality, the PMA contends that these goals are unattainable under current conditions. The program relies heavily on international organizations due to “grossly insufficient” domestic investment in citizens’ health.
The PMA warned that the high prevalence of TB in urban slums of major cities like Karachi and Lahore is not just a medical failure but also a serious socio-economic issue. Without an uninterrupted supply of medicines and universal access to modern testing, the country risks an increase in drug resistance.
In response to this crisis, the association has put forward immediate demands, urging the government to allocate funds for TB on a priority basis in the national budget to end reliance on foreign aid.
The PMA also demanded an uninterrupted year-round supply of all TB medicines and the equipping of every primary health center with quality diagnostic tools, while also stressing the need for a coordinated policy to address social factors like malnutrition and overcrowding.
PMA Secretary General Dr. Abdul Ghafoor Shoro clarified that “Hope is not a strategy; the real solution is investment.”