Dr. Gamkrelidze's Story of #TBCourage

Dr. Amiran Gamkrelidze is the Director General at the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) in Tbilisi, Georgia. Much of his work is dedicated to ending tuberculosis (TB) in the country, which has a high TB burden of about 3,000 cases per year. This is his story of #TBCourage:

Though Dr. Gamkrelidze calls TB “one of the main challenges for the Georgian healthcare system,” he says that “progress has been visible.” Under his leadership, the NCDC is specifically focused on drug-resistant TB as well as the high number of patients in the country who stop treatment before their disease is cured. However, he is optimistic that “serious breakthroughs” are coming that can help patients adhere to their treatments and avoid frequent visits to the doctor.

Calling it “one of the oldest and most insidious diseases,” he hopes that the TB pandemic can be brought under control through collaboration. “The international community, the medical community and politicians should work hand in hand so that this main target—which is ending TB in 2030-2035—can be accomplished by all of us together.”