China is one of the twenty-seven countries with a high burden of Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in the world. Of the new TB patients in China in 2017, about 63,000 are MDR-TB patients, accounting for one-third of the number of new MDR-TB patients worldwide.

In the latest “China's 13th Five-Year Plan” national TB prevention and control plan promulgated in 2017, it is clearly emphasized that all regions should gradually incorporate TB into the payment catalogue of special outpatient medical insurance, according to local conditions. However, for this special group of MDR-TB patients, there is no specialized prevention and control policy at the national level, and there are also blind spots in the medical security policy.

Responding to the drug needs of MDR-TB patients, it is necessary to provide patients with stable and affordable second-line anti-TB drugs. It is also necessary to understand the overall drug demand for second-line drugs nationwide to guide further policy formulation and budget research.

Through semi-structured group interviews and key informant interviews, five provinces and cities were investigated. Qualitative analysis was conducted based on stakeholder theory selected doctors and staff from Centers for Disease Control.

Through investigations in this study, problems like low purchasing price, insufficient purchasing volume, low drug supply efficiency, and monopoly producers were found. Through the analysis of roles and relationships among the major stakeholders in the second-line drug supply system, together with the motivation and resistance factors, it was found that all stakeholders have the motivation to solve the problem and face their dilemmas and obstacles at the same time.

Patients with MDR-TB still have difficulties in obtaining medicines. The interests of various stakeholders need to be balanced to improve drug accessibility and affordability. It is recommended to take advantage of the country's centralized procurement, encourage the development and listing of new anti-tuberculosis drugs and generic drugs, and improve the supervision system to ensure the supply of drugs to benefit more patients with tuberculosis.