NMC's ploy of involving private hosp for TB nets results

Harsh Yadav (Lokmat Times)

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation's (NMC's) pilot project of involving a private hospital to combat growing cases of patients suffering from drug resistant tuberculosis (DRTB) is showing encouraging results with 18 persons being cured of the deadly disease within four months of its launch. This is the first experiment of its kind in Maharashtra wherein a private hospital chain has been involved in fighting DRTB.

The NMC had roped in Astha Critical Care Centre at Suyog Nagar to provide free services to DRTB patients who were shunned by even other overburdened and stressed public hospitals. The centre provides all facilities including nutritious food, medicines, X-ray services and more to the patients. It is a part of the initiative of the government of India sponsored programme seeking to eliminate TB in 1.5 years under its flagship National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).

The centre has one patient under treatment currently as others have been cured and discharged. Through this initiative, the NMC is helping DRTB patients get new and stronger TB cure drugs like bedaquiline and delamanid, which are not easily available in the market. 

It is observed that patients are not readily willing to seek care from the public sector owing to high costs and the stigma attached to TB patients. With the intention of saving lives as well as stopping the spread of the disease, the NMC opened this new channel for providing the best treatment for DRTB patients. The centre has deputed a committee of paediatricians, ENT surgeons, psychiatrists, and ophthalmologists for treatment of DRTB patients. The committee not only deals with the physical health of the patient but also educates and consults the patients at each stage of the treatment which could last for as long as 18 months.

Senior pulmonologist, Dr. Nainesh Patel while talking to Lokmat Times, said, "This centre is one of the first of its kind. We had approached the NMC with a plan to help DRTB patients last year." The NMC gave a green signal to the idea after inspecting the centre and being satisfied with what they had to offer. Earlier, as per guidelines of NTEP, patients suffering from DRTB were only treated in government run facilities. Private hospitals too were not very keen on accepting such serious patients because of financial reasons and other health related aspects. Tuberculosis is a communicable disease and DRTB patients require long periods of medication to avoid relapse. "With NMC providing necessary services to the centre, we could take the effort further," said Dr. Patel.

Thrilled at the success of the initiative, Municipal Commissioner, Dr. Abhijeet Chaudhary said that the "NMC would also consider replicating it on a larger scale so that more people benefit from the facility." He said that the achievement of the pilot project was an "example of the sheer effort put in by both the NMC and the private party." Dr. Choudhary, congratulated all the doctors, medical staff and NMC officials for their belief in "this innovative idea and their efforts to make it successful."