E-Paper
Nutritional needs of mere 250 TB patients covered by donors in Pune
Of the 4,500 tuberculosis (TB) patients in Pune, only 250 have been adopted by citizens and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support their nutritional needs
Pune: Of the 4,500 tuberculosis (TB) patients in the city, only 250 have been adopted by citizens and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support their nutritional needs. The patients will get financial support for a year. According to civic officials, at least 4,500 new cases of TB are detected this year within Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits.
The Centre has launched “End TB by 2025” campaign under which financial contributions from NGOs, corporates or individuals are encouraged to support dietary requirements of TB patients.
Dr Prashant Bothe, city TB officer, PMC, said that many patients struggle with getting the right nutrition. PMC in August had urged residents and NGOs to cover the nutritional expense of patients for at least a year. However, the response so far has been low.
“Every patient is given at least ₹500 per month to cover nutrition. However, there is a need to support patients with flour, fruits, eggs and milk on a monthly basis. The expenditure of these roughly amounts to ₹1,050,” said Dr Bothe.
“One of the NGOs approached us to adopt 200 patients. So far, there are only 250 patients who have been nutritionally adopted out of 4,500 patients,” he said.
TB is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and often affects the lungs. The bacteria that cause TB are spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms of TB include cough (sometimes blood-tinged), weight loss, night sweat and fever.
