The Indian Express   22.08.2012

Civic body trains AYUSH doctors to administer

The debate over ayurvedic and homoeopathic doctors being allowed to prescribe allopathic medicines notwithstanding, the BMC has trained 1,925 alternative medicine practitioners to administer medicines to tuberculosis patients here. These doctors will provide medicines as per the Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) course.

“As part of our organisational strengthening plan, we have trained BMC medical doctors, private practitioners as well as doctors registered under the Ayurveda, Yoga , Unani, Siddha and Naturopathy (AYUSH) to help in management of the disease,” said additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar.

A team from the Central TB division from the Union Health Ministry will be in the city for the next three days to review the TB status, following which the BMC will will kick off the second phase of its anti-TB programme. After doctors at P D Hinduja Hospital reported 12 cases of Extremely Extensive Drug Resistant TB (XXDR-TB) in January, the civic body started its campaign of diagnosing and treating all TB cases. In the first phase, which saw BMC officials go door-to-door to survey families in 10b wards, 458 fresh cases of TB were detected. “Of these cases, 452 persons are already on treatment,” said Mhaiskar. “We have also appointed a TB officer in each ward and a chief district-level officer,” she added.

In the second phase, Sewri TB hospital will be provided additional staff. “This is the only hospital in the state where surgeries for TB are carried out. We are planning to develop it into a Centre Of Excellence,” Mhaiskar said.