Indore: Jolt to TB-free India mission, 12,000 tested positive in a year

INDORE: In a jolt to

TB-free India mission

, the health department has detected 12,179 tuberculosis patients in

Indore district

in last one year of which 250 were found suffering from multi-drug resistant (MDR)

TB

while rest are general respiratory, diabetic,

HIV

cases.


According to district TB officer Dr Vijay Chhajlani, around 20 doctors have been issued showcause notices after it was found that they have not reported details of TB patients that they have treated. He added that last year after department roped in chemists in the mission, officials were able to identify doctors, who have not provided patient details to the department as chemists are liable to send officials details of medicines and prescriptions.

Dr Chhajlani said if doctors do not provide details they can be sent to jail for six months according to the rule. However, no such action has been taken till now. He claimed that in last one year, it has been noticed that MDR TB cases have increased. Of the total tuberculosis patients detected across the district, around two per cent are multi-drug resistant cases.

He added, “We are still unable to identify all TB patients. For this, department has planned to start an extensive survey in urban and rural areas through which each house will be surveyed and a primary test will be conducted to identify tuberculosis patients in Indore district.”

While talking to TOI, Dr Chhajlani said, “The health department has now also started providing bedaquiline medicine for which total treatment pack cost around Rs 13 lakh. The department has started providing medicines to around 18 tuberculosis patients, whose condition was critical and now they have started recovering after getting proper treatment.”

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