47 per cent of slum dwellers underfed

Mumbai might be a rising medical hub in the country, as claimed by medical officers, but when it comes to the health condition of slum dwellers, 47 per cent of them are malnourished, the BMC health budget has revealed.

The civic body in its budget declared that it, in partnership with Sneha, an NGO, has signed a tripartite agreement to tackle malnutrition in the city. The project will be started at three areas — Mankhurd, Dharavi and Malwani, where the malnutrition rates are among the highest.

Moreover, to address the growing cases of extreme drug-resistant XDR-TB in Mumbai, Bedaquiline — a new drug — will be made available at Sewri TB Hospital, the biggest such hospital of India, from February. The expensive medicine will be provided free of cost.

“Bedaquiline helps in the treatment of TB patients who develop resistance to medication like rifampicin and isoniazid. This is a very positive step, which will help XDR-TB patients,” said Dr Nagsen Ramraje, TB head at JJ Hospital.

Eo ensure better treatment for thalassemia patients, the municipality in its budget declared a ‘state-of-the-art’, Thalassemia Care and Bone Marrow Transplantation Centre to offer prevention, care and cure. It will be established in a two-storey building at Magathane, Borivali. Last year, periphery hospitals performed around 40,000 major and minor surgeries and attended to 60 lakh outdoor patients.