Mumbai: The BMC will soon start India’s first palliative care ward for tuberculosis patients at its hospital in Sewri. Palliative care is considered a necessary component in the global strategy against TB but was thus far missing in India, a senior health official said.

Sources informed the FPJ that the ward will be housed in the new building and will have an equal number of beds for both men and women. The official added that they are finalising the guidelines for eligibility.

Renowned pulmonologist and epidemiologist Dr Lancelot Pinto, PD Hinduja Hospital-Mahim, said palliative care across all disciplines in medicine is always a good idea, especially in diseases that leave patients “with a lot of disability and scarring”.

He said, “In India, we often see TB patients in an advanced stage, needing palliative care. The treatment is not just about curing or killing bacteria, but also taking care of symptoms like breathlessness.” He, however, clarified that palliative care does not mean end-of-life.

Pinto said palliative care is helpful when TB is diagnosed late and doctors know that the patient’s lungs are not going to heal and are badly scarred.

Lauding the BMC’s plan, public health specialist and convenor of Survivors Against TB, , Chapal Mehra, said such a centre is the need of the hour in a city like Mumbai where the TB burden is very high.

Sewri TB Hospital, which is officially called Group of TB Hospitals, is Asia’s largest TB hospital. It was inaugurated in 1942 and has 1,000 beds. At any given point, it has more than 800-bed occupancy; 240 beds are reserved for multi-drug resistant TB patients.

New TB cases in Mumbai have reached pre-pandemic levels for the second consecutive year, with 63,644 new cases recorded in 2023. The increase is attributed to better search and diagnostics efforts by health officials.

Lucknow, April 21. The Uttar Pradesh government has approved a proposal seeking amendments in the Atal Residential School Scheme to help children affected by Covid-19.

The Atal Residential School Scheme aims to provide quality and free education to children of poor labourers, according to a government press release.

“Now, children who have lost one or both their parents during Covid-19 pandemic will also be able to benefit. The Women Welfare Department will make available the list of such children to us. Under the scheme, free quality residential education from Class 6 to 12 will be made available,” an official said.

In the order issued, it has been mentioned that the amendment in the present system of the Atal Residential School Scheme has been unanimously approved by the Uttar Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.

The maintenance and social security of registered construction workers will be fully ensured in the interest of eligible construction workers, an official said.

The eligibility conditions of the scheme have also been amended.

Admission will be given only to the children of the registered construction workers who have completed at least three years of membership of the board after registration.

Earlier this period was kept only for one year.

However, the eligibility of maximum two children of the registered working family to study in the school remains the same as before.

Every year the admission of children of construction workers and the children eligible for the Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana will be made on the basis of the procedure laid down by the Atal Residential School Committee.

“The state government will make the payment of expenses related to destitute children and children eligible for the Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana (general) to the Atal Residential School Committee, through which funds will be provided to the schools. For this, the Atal Residential School Committee will have to operate a separate account.

“Under the scheme, the same rule was prescribed earlier for orphans as well, but now the names of destitute children and children eligible for Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana have been added,” an official said.

Even as lakhs of people were sitting under the scorching sun at the Khargar International Corporate Park ground last Sunday to witness the Maharashtra Bhushan award event, about 900 persons, including VIPs, were enjoying a lavish buffet laid out in an air-conditioned palace-like lounge behind the dais. The menu included fresh white dhoklas, cocktail batawadas, aluwadi, paneer masala, pitla, matki usal, special pulao, two types of dal, basmati jeera rice, puri, chapati, badam halwa, aamras, shrikhand, ice creams – gadbad, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, and chilled soft drinks, all unlimited and at the taxpayers’ expense.

Official expenditure on the program was Rs.13.50 crore

The VIPs were given golden color spoons to gorge on the lavish spread. One of the guests told on Thursday that each plate cost ₹1,000. Minister for Culture Sudhir Mungantiwar was one of the VIPs seen in the special lounge. The official expenditure on the program was ₹13.50 crore, but if the money spent on resurfacing the roads, etc., is taken into account, the expense could easily be ₹25 crore.

Arrangements for water were not only inadequate

Outside, there was not even a shade for the visitors who were all followers of Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, who was the recipient of the government award. Arrangements for water were not only inadequate but also not placed at vantage points. Unable to bear the heat, as many as 14 persons died of dehydration. Mungantiwar effectively blamed Dharmadhikari since it was the “social reformer” who suggested the time at 11.00 a.m. Incidentally, Dharmakari spoke for one hour even as his followers were suffering from the blazing heat with nothing to cover their heads. The government has asked the Revenue Secretary Nitin Kareer to probe the tragedy.

Meanwhile, a lawyer from Navi Mumbai, Sachin Thorat (43), has written to the Khargar police to register his FIR against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Mungantiwar, and others connected with the organization of the awards function. He told FPJ on Thursday that he will file a private complaint with a local court under section 156 (3) of the CrPC if his FIR is not registered in the next few days.