Year after husband's death, TB Hospital staff's widow awaits job

Manda Kamble, 40, widow of Dinesh Kamble, a ward boy at Sewri TB Hospital, has been praying for almost a year that she lands a job at the hospital after her husband's death.

Kamble succumbed to Multi-drug resistant (MDR) – TB, an infection he contracted on job last year.

"He barely lasted for two months. He was diagnosed with TB in March last year and by June he expired," Manda told dna.

Dinesh had joined service in 1997 and began working at Sewri TB Hospital in 2008. "He worked for five years in this hellhole before TB affected him... The underlying cause of his death was multi-drug-resistant TB," said a doctor on the condition of anonymity.

Manda should have been employed at the hospital within three months of her husband's death. Close to a year now, she has not got the job. "I've passed class 12. I've been promised a clerk's job but have not yet been taken on board. I have two daughters to educate. I have to repay loans of over Rs4 lakh. My in-laws are frail and old. I am being denied my right," she told dna.

Since 2005, more than 70 workers at Sewri TB hospital contracted the infection of which 45 have died.

Two workers, Dinesh Kamble and Dilip Suradkar, expired last year while Ravindra Sonawane, another ward boy, succumbed to the scourge in 2014.

Of 328 employees screened for TB between December 5, 2013 and March 18, 2014, 46 cases of TB were recorded at the hospital. Sewri Hospital has close to 1,200 employees, including doctors, nurses, ward boys, aayahs and sweepers.

"Not all are coming out for screening. In 2011, we screened 801 employees but in 2013-14, barely 328 employees volunteered for screening. Most employees either take treatment in private or succumb to the disease. The BMC is plainly looking the other way," said a senior doctor in the administration wing of the hospital.

Since 2007, dna accessed records of patient deaths at Sewri TB Hospital and stumbled upon shocking figures. Every year, close to 2,000 patients succumb to TB at the hospital. Totally, 13,727 patients died since 2007.

A senior doctor said, "The bacterial load on the hospital is very high. The most serious cases of TB are presented in the hospital. The employees work selflessly only to become ill or succumb to TB themselves."

Provision of a measly diet adds to the woes of employees at the hospital. In 2012, BMC had assured that a high-protien breakfast to be provided to its 1000-odd employees, including doctors and nurses, would be adequate and palatable. Workers complain that the diet has fallen short on both counts.

"The diet chart clearly mentioned that two eggs and 150ml of milk was to be provided. We don't get more than 50ml of milk and one boiled egg. This is grossly inadequate. While bananas have been recommended, we haven't got the fruits since last year. Also, pulses or an occasional serving of upma is not filling," said an employee requesting anonymity.