Maharashtra administers 10 lakh adult TB vaccines, none for Mumbai as health workers halt survey again over unpaid dues

Mumbai: Since last month, Maharashtra has administered the adult Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine to 10 lakh people. However, Mumbai— despite having the state's highest tuberculosis burden — was excluded from this TB vaccine.A survey of eligible residents in Mumbai remains incomplete in ten of the 12 selected wards, as Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) once again refused to conduct it. Their boycott is due to unpaid compensation after the state's Maratha reservation survey, which was supposed to be disbursed by April.After months of periodic protests and boycotts, the CHVs were promised their payments by Sept 23. "We were told to start the adult BCG survey in early September, and we did. We were promised payment within 15 days, but that money never came. After waiting for weeks, we've now decided to pause the adult BCG survey again until our dues are cleared," said Sunita Sutar, a CHV in Bandra West and a member of the Municipal Corporation Health Workers' Union.CHVs were to be paid Rs 3 per household for surveys of reserved categories and Rs 100 per household to survey open categories. On Tuesday, the BMC announced a separate Diwali bonus of Rs 12,000 for these health workers, but many remain sceptical."Messages are circulating about this bonus, but if they can't settle previous payments, who knows how long it will take for this bonus to reach us," said Sumedha Mane, a CHV in P-South ward, one of the wards where the TB vaccination survey was supposed to take place.An official with the state TB department said, "The response in other parts of Maharashtra, excluding Mumbai, has been good. People want the vaccine, especially if they've had a family member with TB. We're hopeful the vaccine rollout in Mumbai will begin soon."Ganesh Acharya, a Mumbai-based TB survivor and activist, said, "Data is more scattered in other parts of Maharashtra, but it is saturated in Mumbai. The vaccine rollout here is needed even as this is a limited study. The health workers are valid on their part, and their issues need to be addressed. Globally, health advocacy groups are pushing for access to adult BCG vaccination."Executive health officer Dr Daksha Shah was unavailable for comment.Data:Jan 1, 2024 to Oct 15: 46,666 TB cases in Mumbai, 1,73,554 TB cases in Maharashtra2023: 61,844 TB cases in Mumbai, 2,23,492 TB cases in Maharashtra
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