Sewree TB hospital staff to get high-protein diet

The staff at the Sewree Tuberculosis Hospital will get a daily dose of nutrition during duty hours from May.

The staff at the Sewree Tuberculosis Hospital will get a daily dose of nutrition during duty hours from May.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sanctioned a plan to provide a high-protein diet to the hospital staff to boost their immunity and prevent contraction of TB.

“TB is an infectious disease which affects people when their immunity is low. Although the staff get a diet allowance, not many actually eat a high-protein diet,” said Manisha Mhaiskar, additional civic commissioner.

The diet will comprise an egg, banana, pulses and milk. Around 1,000 hospital employees in various categories including nurses, ward boys and doctors will benefit from this.

In the past five years, more than 30 staffers have succumbed to TB and 60 have contracted it. Of these 11 were detected with multi-drug resistant TB and are currently undergoing Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) plus treatment.

The civic body rolled out a TB control programme in February after Hinduja Hospital reported cases of extremely drug resistant TB (XDR-TB). Of the 12 reported cases three died and remaining are on treatment.

The hospital staff had demanded better facilities in January after the XXDR cases were reported. “This is a good initiative,” said Pradip Narkar, secretary of the Municipal Mazdoor Union. The civic body has also procured N-95 masks for staff and single use masks for visitors, said Dr Mini Khetarpal, Mumbai TB Officer.