Tuesday 3 February 2015

Daily 3 deaths in Mumbai due to TB

TB is on its rise in Mumbai with almost 3 persons falling prey to it daily, this information was provided to RTI Activist Anil Galgali. Also the central govt provided MCGM with Rs 38.19 crores as funds to counter TB and almost 12430 people succumbed to the disease in the past 11 years.

RTI Activist Anil Galgali had filed an RTI query with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai seeking information about the total number of TB cases in Mumbai and also total deaths due to TB in the past 11 years. The Dy Executive Health Officer of the TB control dept of the MCGM informed that from 2004 to 2014 in these past 11 years total of 3,36,122 cases of people afflicted with TB were detected, out of which total 12430 people succumbed to the disease. As compared to a 6 year period of 2008 - 2013, there is a considerable decrease in the count of TB patients in 2014 which was 1017. Also as compared to 2 years of 2012 / 2013 the new TB cases got reduced in 2014 which was 30,477.

# Central govt funds

Anil Galgali had also sought information about the funds received from the central govt to control TB. In the information provided that the Mumbai District TB Control Society received a total of Rs 38,18,91,844 as funds in the past 10 years. The society received funds step wise in the past 10 years from 2004-05 to 2013-14, which kept increasing every year. It started with Rs 64,83,000 in the 10th annual to Rs 14,41,41,644 in the year 2013-14. Galgali further sought information about the usage of these funds during the period, which the MCGM tried to divert by giving just audit head wise revenue expenditure from year 2010-11 to 2015-16

# Expenses of program at Marriott borne by NGO

Galgali also sought information about the program conducted at J W Marriott to propagate a message for TB free Mumbai. The Dy Executive Health Officer informed that the program was sponsored by a NGO named Global Health Strategies, all the expenses for the program was also borne by the organisation and MCGM did not incur any cost for the program. It also claimed that Medical education and Awareness creation is the part of the ammended National TB Control Program and hence accordingly the program was organised according to the availability and convenience of Amitabh Bachchan.

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