Even as the scare over extreme drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) cases continues in state, hospitals in city are clueless about reporting such cases.
Even as the scare over extreme drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) cases continues in state, hospitals in city are clueless about reporting such cases. While two people have died of the deadly strain in Mumbai, officials in Pune are too busy with other duties to inform hospitals to look out for XDR-TB cases.
The apathy towards the highly infectious deadly disease is continuing despite the state government announcing a slur of new initiatives and funds for controlling the spread of the deadly strain of TB. Surprisingly, even as state health minister Suresh Shetty had said more than a fortnight ago that surveillance for XDR-TB would be stepped up across state with all private and public hospitals and laboratories informed to look out for suspected cases, no such thing has happened.
DNA inquired with several private hospitals who denied receiving any letter or instructions for reporting suspected XDR-TB cases.
Dr Pradeep Gaikwad, joint director (TB) passed the buck to civic officials stating that it is their job to inform hospitals. When asked, PMC’s medical officer in charge of TB, Dr ND Thakur agreed that no letter had been sent. “We are in process of sending letters, it shall happen soon. So far, we had been busy with preparing our quarterly report,’’ said Thakur.
Shockingly, microbiologists at hospitals say this is a dangerous practice as XDR-TB cases could also exist in Pune and need thorough checking. “We don’t have accreditation to do tests for detecting drug resistant TB. We send samples of all suspected cases to Aundh Chest Hospital which does testing only up to the first level of resistance. Hence, it is impossible to say conclusively, if XDR-TB cases exist in Pune, they could be here. All hospitals and laboratories should be asked to report suspected cases,’’ said Dr Renu Bharadwaj, head of microbiology department at Sassoon General Hospital. She denied receiving any fresh instructions from senior authorities to report suspected XDR-TB cases.
In fact, many hospital administrators say that the work at TB departments is going on as normal and no extra vigil was stepped up after XDR-TB cases were reported. “We have always been looking out for drug resistant TB but there has been no change in the protocol. So far, we don’t know of any suspected XDR-TB cases,’’ said Dr Sujata Mallik, medical director, Ruby Hall Clinic.
Medical superintendent of Jehangir Hospital Dr Manisha Bobade too denied stepping up vigil for XDR-TB cases. “We don’t have any instructions from the state government and we report on all other infectious diseases but no reporting of suspected drug resistant TB cases has been mandatory to my knowledge,’’ she said.
Dr Shubhada Sharma, deputy medical superintendent at KEM Hospital, denied having any knowledge of XDR-TB cases or instructions to report cases.
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