State to collect data on patients with incurable TB

The state health authorities will collect data on the number of patients suffering from multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) from private doctors, hospitals and laboratories. The data will help officials gauge the extent of the spread of the kind of TB, said a state health official.

The state health authorities will collect data on the number of patients suffering from multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) from private doctors, hospitals and laboratories. The data will help officials gauge the extent of the spread of the kind of TB, said a state health official.

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On Thursday, health officials from the government and the civic body met at Hinduja Hospital where 12 patients were detected with totally drug resistant tuberculosis (TDR-TB).

TDR-TB refers to a kind of tuberculosis where the patient is resistant to the first and second line of treatment. Doctors said TDR-TB is caused because of mismanagement of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients by prescription of wrong antibiotics by non-specialist doctors.

"We have asked Hinduja Hospital to give us details of all the patients who have been detected with TDR-TB. We wan to screen the people they come in contact with and treat them," said a state government official.

On January 18, the Central TB division from Delhi will visit the city. "We will have a meeting with all the Central TB officials, World Health Organisation (WHO) officials and then chalk out a plan," said the official.

By the end of the year, the state will be covered for the Directly Observed Treatment Short course programme that targets MDR-TB patients, said the official.

Consultant physician, Dr Zarir Udwadia, who was part of the meeting, said, "I suggested that there be a legislation to ensure that specialists can treat TB patients. We are looking for a public-private partnership so we could give the prescription and the state could provide the medicines."