Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is to quit working in Turkmenistan. After having its proposals to combat tuberculosis (TB) shot down by the Turkmen Ministry of Health, the humanitarian organization says it can no longer work in the country.

"Medical needs in Turkmenistan are still high and there is a good reason for us to work here. However, our project proposals have been repeatedly rejected," said Frank Dörner, General Director at MSF, said on December 17. "We had hoped to be able to assist the Turkmen population which is exposed to high rates of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, but still has no access to care and effective treatment."

Turkmenistan faces a looming multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) crisis, MSF asserts. More than 20 percent of newly diagnosed TB patients and 33 percent of patients who have failed previous treatment have MDR TB, the organization said citing documents from the Turkmen Ministry of Health.