In an attempt to prioritise the comfort of patients suffering from tuberculosis, the civic-run TB hospital in Sewri has started giving bedaquiline in the outpatient department (OPD).

Mumbai: He is a one-man help-desk against an old scourge. Dr. Lalitkumar Anande randomly gets on to any local train, positions himself in the crowd and starts talking using a tiny speaker. He believes that the age old “suniye suniye suniye” (listen, everyone) works best on local trains.

Maharashtra and four other states to introduce a daily drug regimen for TB patients next year. Currently, patients are administered medicines on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

A fast-track approach in identifying patients with tuberculosis (TB) may help tackle the spread of the disease in the city. Experts from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta and Harvard School of Public Health on Monday discussed this model at a workshop on infection control at Sion Hospital.