The Sewri TB Hospital, Asia's largest tuberculosis hospital, has reopened its paediatric tuberculosis department after a four-year closure. This was made possible by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which filled the vacant paediatric doctor position on August 24.
Now, the facility has already started treating two paediatric tuberculosis patients. BMC is also converting the current paediatric unit into a 20-bed unit.
The closure was due to the lack of a specialist to oversee the treatment of young TB patients. The Sewri TB Hospital stopped accepting paediatric patients in 2018. Then, the BMC established a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Wadia Hospital. Wadia Hospital is a nonprofit institution that caters exclusively to recommended patients residing in Mumbai. Some paediatric patients were also referred to JJ Hospital.
According to reports, there is a critical need for more paediatric TB beds, particularly in the public sector. Separate beds are specially required for paediatric patients due to the infectious nature of TB.
Children with multi-drug-resistant TB require extended stays in the hospital. This was a big challenge because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, there were increased paediatric TB cases due to indoor confinement. To address this demand, the BMC will convert the paediatric section at Sewri TB Hospital into a 20-bed unit.
Over the past five years, Mumbai has seen a concerning rise in paediatric TB cases, with 5,446 children diagnosed in 2021 alone. This is about 9% of the city's total TB cases. Many of these children require hospitalisation for proper treatment and care.
Share
Tweet
