While local ALM and corporator are calling for a full-fledged hospital, BMC's health department feels the idea is past its time owing to decrease in TB cases
While local ALM and corporator are calling for a full-fledged hospital, BMC's health department feels the idea is past its time owing to decrease in TB casesIf the local ALM and corporator have their way, the tuberculosis (TB) clinic at Khar could make way for a full-fledged hospital for the treatment and eradication of the disease despite the BMC calling the concept an outdated one. While ALM members and corporator Ashish Shelar believe the hospital will be useful for many patients who come to the MM Munshi TB clinic at SV Road from areas around Khar, the BMC has contented that the number of TB patients is on a steady decline and that the out-patient clinic serves the purpose.
Outdated? ALM members have written to the ward officer to develop
the MM Munshi TB clinic at SV Road, as it can be useful to the patients
who come to the clinic from areas around Khar. Pic/Satyajit DesaiAftab Siddiqui, who is the chairperson of the 33rd Road Khar ALM-144 and president of the Linking Road Citizens' Forum, has written a letter about the need for the proposed hospital to the ward officer of H West Ward, deputy municipal commissioner of Zone III and the additional municipal commissioner.
"Innumerable people come to the clinic for treatment of TB every day. The disease can get dangerous and incurable after a certain stage and the existence of a hospital in place of the clinic will ensure that patients with severe problems can get admitted there and remain under the observation of doctors," said Siddiqui.
"The BMC should look at the bigger picture and redevelop it into a hospital before the place is given out to some builder," she added.
Last year, Shelar had submitted a proposal for the redevelopment of the clinic into a hospital with 500-1,000 beds during the municipal general body meeting but it was rejected. "Now we are formulating another proposal for the redevelopment, which will be ready in a few days. It is necessary for the place to be converted into a hospital because there are so many people who do not get proper treatment for TB," he said.
BMC's take
The civic body's executive health officer Gourish Ambe, however, said,u00a0 "The concept of having a TB hospital is outdated now as there aren't that many people suffering from the disease. Our out-patient based clinics give medicines to the patients, which eliminates the need for them being admitted unless they are very critical."
Disagreeing with Ambe, BMC's standing committee chairperson Rahul Shewale said, "I had a look at the clinic yesterday and thought about having a hospital there. Ashish Shelar had submitted a proposal but no one gave it much thought. We can probably run the hospital on the public-private partnership model.
The numbersBMC has 182 health posts, 162 dispensaries and 23 maternity homes in the city along with the hospitals.
