The non-governmental organization, Praja says the following concerning the health situation in the city of Mumbai, India in a newly published “white paper”–Despite its claims of being a world-class metropolis, Mumbai is a decidedly unhealthy city. It is characterized by rising cases of dengue and tuberculosis, including drug-resistant strains of the latter. Child malnutrition is rampant.
Image/Praja
The authorities in charge of running the city have not managed to check the spread of various major diseases. The following statistics make this amply clear:
When it comes to tuberculosis, the number of cases rose from 36,417 in 2012-13 to 50,001 in 2016-17. However, the number of cases treated through Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) nearly halved in five years—from 30,828 in 2012 to 15,767 in 2016.
At the same time, the percentage of defaulters in DOTS treatment increased from 9% (2,638 out of 30,828) in 2012 to 19% (2,927 out of 15,767) in 2016, at a time when the government is actively promoting the ‘TB haarega, desh jeetega’ campaign.
During that five year period, from more than 18 TB related deaths have been reported daily.
Praja identified the TB hotspots: L (Kurla-1254 cases), H/E (Santacruz-659 cases) and R/S (Kandivli-493 cases) are the worst affected wards in 2016-17
The number of dengue cases rose from 4,867 in 2012-13 to 17,771 in 2016-17—a 265% increase. Estimated dengue deaths have doubled from 77 cases in 2012-13 to 148 cases in 2016-17.
Dengue hotspots in 2016-17 K/E (224 cases), L (144 cases) and R/N (108 cases).
For its annual health report, Praja uses information mentioned in the death certificates to calculate the death toll from various diseases. The BMC is opposed to this procedure as its officials feel that death certificates are not filled out scientifically.
Municipal officials have spoken out against the report and it’s data. Civic TB officer Daksha Shah said, “A health programme cannot be analysed based on some data randomly gathered using RTI.”
Read the Praja White paper HERE
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