25 other doctors are also being treated for the dreaded infection.
Another resident doctor working in a civic hospital was detected with tuberculosis this week.
The 26-year-old resident doctors from BYL Nair Hospital’s psychiatry department is admitted to the same hospital.
According to sources at the hospital, the resident doctor had cough last week for which he was investigated and tested positive for TB on Saturday. He was put treatment within two days. “He didn’t have any TB symptoms like weight loss. But he is doing good,” said a doctor from his department.
The psychiatry department counsels TB patients and the doctors also visit Sewri TB hospital exposing them to the infectious disease.
With more number of resident doctors and civic hospital staff contracting TB, Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) collaborated with Observer Research Foundation (ORF), health activists, medical professionals in July to spread TB awareness programme across Mumbai.
Twenty-five doctors from civic and state-run hospitals in Mumbai have contracted TB, out of which, 15 are from Sion hospital.
While hospital authorities refused to comment on doctors being infected with TB, they said measures were being taken to ensure that the medical staff take prevention steps.
Dr Ramesh Bharmal, dean of BYL Nair Hospital, said: “In September second week, a third year nursing student was diagnosed with tuberculosis and she is recovering. I don’t have information of the latest case but we are taking measures to save our medical staff from the infectious disease.”
A 24-year-old doctor intern died of TB in July this year.
According to statistics available, 7,000 people die of TB in Mumbai every year. The disease has killed 42 employees of TB hospital in Sewri since 2005.
The MARD has been at loggerheads with the administration over poor accommodation facilities given to resident doctors and their long working hours.
MARD has also collaborated with Observer Research Foundation (ORF), health activists and medical professionals and conducted extensive TB awareness programme in July across Mumbai.
PAST CASE
Dr Samidha Khandare, 24, a Sion hospital doctor (in pic) lost her six-month battle to multi-drug resistant on June 30, a day before Doctor’s Day. The Akola resident was diagnosed with the disease in January, just a month before the completion of her internship. She had received her MBBS degree at Sion hospital’s the ICU in February
MARD said lack of hygiene in campus accommodation, no nutritious food and long working hours led to her contracting the disease.
33 total number of employees of major civic hospitals in Mumbai who have been detected with tuberculosis this year
8 employees of state-run hospitals contracted the infection this year
10 Nair hospital employees are on anti-TB treatment. Three of them are resident doctors.
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