SGPGI team to adopt TB patients; look after their nutritional and medical needs

To look after the nutritional and medical needs of TB patients, a team of doctors and nurses from Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, including the director, have come forward to adopt them.

To look after the nutritional and medical needs of TB patients, a team of doctors and nurses from Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, including the director, have come forward to adopt them.

(Pic for representation)

SGPGI director Prof RK Dhiman, Dr Richa, Dr Moinak, Dr Amit Goel, Dr Ashima, Dr Aparna, Dr Parijaat, Dr Abbaas, administrative officer Sanjay Jain, nurse Sister Neema, Sister Neelam, Sister Rachna, and Bhawna Arya will adopt patients suffering from tuberculosis. They will monitor the treatment of these patients as well as provide them nutritional support, says a press statement of the Institute.

On Thursday, the SGPGI director, during a CME cum TB Adoption & Nutrition Programme held in the run-up to World TB Day observed on March 24, stressed on the importance of elimination of TB by 2025.

Prof Dhiman said, “Since TB patients often come from a poor background and cannot afford a high protein diet with fruits and micro-nutrients, members of the SGPGI family have taken the initiative to adopt them and provide them with adequate nutritional support every month. They will also monitor their treatment and ensure that all medicines are provided to them free of cost at their nearest DOTS centre.”

At the event, Padmashri Dr Digambar Behra, former dean and head of Pulmonary Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh was the guest of honour and delivered a talk on multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Dr Ashwini Khanna, senior pulmonologist from LNJP, Delhi outlined the treatment details of the disease. State TB officer, Dr Shailendra Bhatnagar discussed the challenges in the programme. Other eminent speakers included Dr Suryakant, HoD, pulmonary medicine, KGMU and Dr Manpreet Bhalla, NITRD, Delhi.

A panel discussion was also held on TB preventive therapy as well as pleural effusion in tuberculosis.