National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme in Nepal: A Review of Progress, Challenges, and Future Directions

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health challenge in Nepal despite the availability of effective diagnostic and treatment services. Nepal has made important progress through its National Tuberculosis Programme, including expansion of diagnostic capacity, active case-finding, drug-resistant TB management, community engagement and integration of newer diagnostic technologies. The national TB prevalence survey conducted in 2018–2019 provided important evidence on the country's disease burden and demonstrated that a substantial proportion of people with TB may be asymptomatic, highlighting the importance of chest X-ray-based screening and active case finding. More recent programme activities have focused on improving access to diagnosis and treatment, strengthening services for drug-resistant TB and reaching vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations. WHO reported that Nepal had an estimated 68,000 incident TB cases in 2023, while only about 54% were enrolled in treatment, indicating a substantial gap between estimated disease burden and notified/treatment-enrolled cases. In 2024, Nepal expanded the use of the all-oral BPaLM regimen for drug-resistant TB. This review summarizes the evolution, current situation, diagnostic and treatment approaches, drug-resistant TB response, TB-HIV services, active case finding, programme challenges and future priorities of TB control in Nepal.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2455.7048.202616

How to cite this article:
Adhikari S, Thapa N, Gurung M. National
Tuberculosis Elimination Programme in Nepal:
A Review of Progress, Challenges, and Future
Directions. Epidem Int. 2026;11(3):29-34.