Kathmandu, March 24 -- Sabina Magar lost her job at a brick kiln during the Covid-19 lockdown.The 28-year-old, a single mother raising two young children, was faced with uncertainty.

To make matters worse, she had a fever, began to lose weight rapidly and found herself constantly bed-ridden, without an appetite. When she started to cough up blood, she dragged herself to a hospital in her village in Piuthan. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a common ailment in Nepal. This perfectly curable medieval disease, still kills at least 6,000 Nepalis a year. TB is in fact the biggest infectious disease worldwide, with 10 million new cases and causing 1.5 million deaths annually.

TB has been traditionally difficult to dia...