Locations“I thought it was just asthma—until it wasn’t”
April 1, 2026
In 2024, tuberculosis (TB) affected at least 67,000 people and claimed over 16,000 lives. Despite high treatment success rates, around 40% of cases go undiagnosed, leaving thousands at risk. UNDP and the Global Fund are working on a project to strengthen Nepal’s health resilience and response to close this gap and ensure no one is left undiagnosed and untreated.
When symptoms don’t go away
For months, Lal Babu Patel, a 55-year-old ward secretary from Dewahi Municipality in Madhesh Province and father of four, dismissed his night sweats and breathlessness as asthma. Over-the-counter medicines and occasional clinic visits offered little relief.
A glimpse into the life of Lal Babu Patel, capturing both his daily journey and the medications that accompanied his path.
“I felt weak all the time, and even small tasks became exhausting,” he recalls. As his condition worsened and he began losing weight, his wife Prativa urged him to get tested for tuberculosis.
A turning point
A visit to an AI-supported X-ray camp organized in his village as part of the UNDP supported Global Fund project flagged him as high risk, and a follow-up GeneXpert test confirmed drug-resistant TB. Lal Babu was devastated.
“It hit me hard. I felt helpless as I thought about the long treatment, my work, and my children,” he recalls.
As his condition worsened, Lal Babu was forced to take nearly five months off from his duties as a ward secretary, exhausting all his available leave, and going without salary for the final two months. The loss of the family’s main income placed the household under strain, and yet his family stood by him to make ends meet. Prativa took on extra teaching to keep the household running and ensure their daughters stayed in school. In the meantime, his sons returned from Kathmandu to care for their father and manage the family farm spread across three hectares. Their support allowed Lal Babu to focus on his treatment.
“It hit me like a thunderclap. Suddenly, I felt weak, scared, and unsure how I would survive the treatment—or keep food on the table for my family,”Lal Babu Patel, Beneficiary
The road to recovery
Treatment was provided free of charge through Nepal’s national tuberculosis programme, but the journey was long and demanding. Months of medication, strict routines, and regular monitoring tested Lal Babu’s physical and mental resilience.
“There were days I had no energy at all. But I kept going,” he says.
The family also faced stigma. Fear and misunderstanding of the disease in the community led to social distance—even after doctors confirmed he was recovering and no longer posed a risk.
Chest X-ray imaging being conducted to support the diagnosis of tuberculosis.
After nearly three months, Lal Babu regained his strength and appetite. He returned to work and the farm, while his sons went back to Kathmandu to continue their studies.
“Leaving our studies wasn’t easy, but being there for our father mattered more,” says 22-year-old Rohan. “We hope to find jobs soon and continue supporting our family.”
A family portrait of Lal Babu Patel after successfully completing treatment for tuberculosis, reflecting recovery, resilience, and renewed hope.
More than a diagnosis
For Lal Babu, recovery meant more than restored health—it restored his family’s footing. The farm is productive again, the children are back on track, and the household is regaining balance.
These days, he educates his community about TB, connecting people with health workers and helping overcome barriers to treatment.
“Tuberculosis is treatable,” he says. “But it is important not to delay treatment, not to stigmatize the disease, and not to give up.”
Lal Babu Patel and UNDP personnel leading community education on tuberculosis, connecting people with health workers and helping overcome barriers to treatment.
Nepal’s national TB response—led by the National Tuberculosis Control Center (NTCC) with support from UNDP and Global Fund partners—makes this possible. Mobile screening camps, community outreach, and innovative diagnostics reach populations often left out of the formal health system, while ensuring patients—especially those with drug-resistant TB—are not lost to follow-up. Active case finding through AI-assisted chest X-rays, contact screening, and improved sample transport systems help detect cases earlier and start treatment faster.
For families like Lal Babu’s, timely access to TB treatment means more than recovery: it means returning to work, continuing education, and moving forward with dignity and hope.
Medicines and diagnostic tools used in the testing and treatment of tuberculosis.