Share details of malaria patients: BMC to Kurla docs

To check the malaria menace this monsoon, civic officials from Kurla have urged private doctors to share the details of patients who test positive for malaria.

To check the malaria menace this monsoon, civic officials from Kurla have urged private doctors to share the details of patients who test positive for malaria.

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"More than 80% of the population in Kurla lives in slums. Sharing name and contact details of the malaria patients will help us in following up with them to ensure that they follow the entire course of treatment. This will prevent relapse," said Dr Sanjay Phunde, health officer, L-ward. "Malaria is a notifiable disease and the government or civic body must be informed about patients testing positive for it."

Phunde was talking at a training workshop organised for city doctors by the BMC, in association with Kohinoor Hospital at Kurla. More than 50 doctors attended the workshop that dealt with preparing them to combat monsoon-related diseases.

The onus will be on private doctors to report the contact details of malaria patients to their nearest health post. The BMC has 13 health posts and 12 dispensaries in Kurla. "There are 550 general practitioners in Kurla. They can help us ensure that patients complete the 14-day radical treatment," said Dr Phunde.

"Once patients feel better after the initial medication they shun the follow-up. Then we are not able to give them radical treatment," said Dr Anil Salunke, a private practitioner from Kurla.

The BMC's efforts in Kurla have reduced the number of malaria cases in the area. In the last three months, the slide positivity rate (number of blood smears testing positive for malaria per 100 slides) in L-ward has fallen from 7.37 to 3.28.