Suburban Mumbai Hospitals Lose Private TB Specialists Over Central Fund Cuts
Drug-resistant tuberculosis patients across Mumbai face major treatment disruptions after suburban hospitals were stripped of specially-deployed private pulmonologists under a Central TB Division directive. The decision is expected to push vulnerable and highly infectious patients toward a handful of saturated tertiary centres across the city, including facilities in Juhu, Parel, Mumbai Central, Sion, and Byculla.
A letter issued by the state TB department to district offices stated that NGO and public-private partnership activities were not approved in the Project Implementation Plan for the year 2026–2027. State TB officer Dr Radhakrishnan Pawar stated that the projects, initially established following a gap analysis, were closed due to a shortage of funds. Dr Pawar noted that if the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) wants to continue the initiative, it can run the project using its own funds or deploy civic specialists.
Dr Daksha Shah, Executive Health Officer, said civic authorities are evaluating both possibilities to compensate for the loss of doctors and may submit a proposal to the BMC to keep the programme active. Dr Shah stated that officials are first reviewing the number of specialists available in peripheral hospitals to assess if they can be reassigned before finalising an alternative plan.
Private pulmonologists deployed under the scheme warned that halting the public-private model would severely impact patient care. Dr Vikas Oswal, who became the first private pulmonologist deployed at BMC hospitals 14 years ago, said government facilities alone would be unable to manage the patient load. He explained that eight private chest physicians had been specifically trained and placed in high-burden localities to manage complex cases. Several specialists deployed at government hospitals are also still awaiting payment for the past year.
City-based TB activist Ganesh Acharya pointed out that alternative medical arrangements should have been established before cancelling the programme. In addition to private specialists, non-governmental organisations operating clinics in high-burden areas such as Mankhurd previously provided testing, diagnostics, and treatment support.
TB survivor Meera Yadav highlighted that outreach workers hired by NGOs played a crucial role in diagnosing cases that avoided crowded government hospitals. Addressing these gaps, Dr Shah said private healthcare providers are required to report new TB cases and refer underprivileged patients to public facilities while the civic body arranges internal staff for outreach.
