Bangladesh's National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) teeters on the brink of collapse as Global Fund support ends December 31, hot on the heels of USAID's earlier exit.
The funding shortfall risks axing 362 jobs, while TB drugs and diagnostic kits dwindle, threatening a severe blow to the nation's anti-TB campaign.
Experts sound the alarm: without swift intervention, detection and treatment could grind to a halt, derailing Bangladesh's 2030 elimination target.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reports 379,000 annual TB cases and 44,000 deaths.
The government eyes slashing new infections to 70,000 and fatalities to 6,000 by 2030, but 17% of patients evade detection — a persistent hurdle.
From January to October 2025, 278,607 cases surfaced nationwide, including 1,258 drug-resistant ones, a red flag for specialists.
Services on the chopping block
TB program insiders reveal that field staff learned on November 25 of the Global Fund cutoff, with contracts expiring simultaneously.
Without fresh funds, 650 detection centers risk shutdown from January.
USAID's pullout already claimed 2,200 jobs and shuttered screenings in multiple spots.
Medicine and kit stocks are critically low, as procurement needs six months' lead time, now jeopardized by delays.
Specialists warn treatment lapses could fuel drug-resistant TB, which strikes 5,000 yearly in Bangladesh, with nearly half undetected. It's costlier and tougher to treat.
Government cash dried up
The NTP ran for nearly 30 years via the Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Program's Operational Plan, which folded in June 2024.
A new Development Project Proposal (DPP) awaits approval, leaving TB efforts without major state funding for 18 months, save scant emergency supplies.
Experts fear a full program implosion without rapid approvals, erasing hard-won strides.
Global stakes, local peril
A November 12 WHO report deems TB preventable and curable, yet it killed 1.23 million globally last year, sickening 17 million (5.8 million men, 3.7 million women, 1.2 million children).
The lung-affecting bacteria spread via air from coughs, sneezes, or spit.
Disruptions in high-burden nations like Bangladesh could ripple regionally and worldwide, experts caution.
Urgent pleas for rescue
DGHS urges instant approvals and funds to dodge chaos next year.
NTP Deputy Director Dr Md Shafin Jabbar stressed current challenges and told Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday that they are waiting for the approval of DPP, as many issues are related to this approval.
“Already, we have been waiting for the DPP approval for the last 18 months, and the current Global Fund support will end on December 31. So, we need to revise the whole program as early as possible,” He added.
However, the sources from DGSH said that, already, the global fund and NTP officials are working to resolve the upcoming crisis, and they have a plan to include BRAC in this program, which will be effective soon to mitigate this crisis on a limited scale.
Officials familiar with NTP said they are still waiting for the approval of DPP by 31st December, otherwise it may jeopardize the current NTP program's success across the country.
