The Hindu

Mangalore, Nov 24: The District Tuberculosis sanatorium in Moodushedde near here stands defiantly as an exception to the rhetoric that Government hospitals are inefficient. The doctors and staff here regularly suffer from respiratory problems and run the risk of contracting the disease themselves, and yet continue to serve, undeterred.

But now the 100-bed hospital, which caters to seven districts of the State, is gasping for breath, and is likely to be shut down soon. Confirming that the facilities at the hospital were being considered for some other purposes, district surgeon J Prabhudeva said the centre might be dismantled shortly.

For destitute people such as Steven (38), the hospital has been a refuge. Preferring anonymity, a doctor of the centre said that most of the patients came there during the advanced stage of the disease, and were from poor families. Many had been rendered homeless as they were disowned by their families.

The hospital provides them with food and shelter. The doctors said that every effort was being made to provide nutritious food to patients at scheduled times.

Dinesh (32), an inmate from Kundapur, said: “Every day we are given three eggs, bread, milk, lunch, and dinner.” In addition to these in-patients, the hospital caters to dozens of out-patients, including those on periodical check-up.
There is an acute shortage of clerical and supervisory staff at the hospital. The pharmacy is managed by the nursing staff even as there is no X-ray technician in the hospital. The equipment is handled by a clerk.

Notwithstanding the efforts of the staff to keep the hospital running, a large part of it has become defunct. Of the 100 beds, the occupancy rate is 50 per cent. Until six years ago, the facility was functioning to its full capacity. The number of in-patients has been decreasing steadily by the year.

In terms of population coverage, India has the second largest number of people under DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, short course) programme in the world. India’s DOTS is the fastest expanding programme and the largest in terms of patients initiated on treatment, placing more than 1,00,000 patients on treatment, every month. The Revised National TB Programme, initiated in 2003, has had some encouraging results. Dr Prabhudeva said that the reason for the centre to become obsolete was because the disease was being handled effectively by the primary health centres and the units at taluk level.

However, the fact that people such as Veeranna (38) have been coming here for treatment all the way from Gadag leaves a few questions unanswered. “I come here because there is no proper treatment available in my village,” Veeranna said.