Multi-drug resistant TB patients to get food support from BMC

Scores of people afflicted with stubborn strains of tuberculosis across the city are set to benefit as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is planning to provide them with nutritious foods.

To begin with, the civic body will start giving calorie-rich food to individuals detected with multi-drug resistant (MDR) Tuberculosis and extreme drug resistant (XDR) in Wadala, Sion, Parsi Colony and Antop Hill.

"Upma and sheera will be given to all MDR-TB and XDR-TB patients in F/N Ward under a pilot project through 36 centres," said Dr Mini Khetrapal, tuberculosis control officer of BMC.

The health department official said they will monitor the project for one and a half months before replicating it to the rest of the city. "According to WHO norms, a TB patient needs about 2,000 calories a day. Our foods will take of about 900 calories. We hope this will help in their speedy recovery," said Dr Khetrapal.

Health experts say that poor nutritional status is common with people with active TB. The disease may lead to underweight and micronutrient deficiencies by increasing energy requirements, poor metabolism and loss of appetite.

Dr Khetrapal added that nutritional supplement plays a key role in TB management and for poor patients it becomes difficult to follow a healthy diet regime. " We have seen that a TB patient has better cure rate with a good diet," said Dr Khetrapal.