Sewri TB Hospital, established in 1941, is India’s largest dedicated tuberculosis facility, operating with a capacity of 1,000 beds, including 240 reserved for multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients. The hospital maintains full occupancy year-round, handling between 6,000 and 7,000 admissions annually.In recent years, the hospital has faced challenges with patient retention. The data indicates that approximately 5,000 patients leave against medical advice each year, and between 2017 and 2021, 439 patients absconded.
To enhance patient care, Sewri TB Hospital plans to inaugurate a 10-bed intensive care unit (ICU) in February 2024, specifically designed for TB patients experiencing acute respiratory failure. This development follows reports highlighting the difficulties TB patients face in securing ICU beds in Mumbai. Currently, Wadia Hospital holds Centre of Excellence status for paediatric TB patients, while JJ Hospital in Mumbai is the only Centre of Excellence for drug-resistant TB in western India. Nationally, only four other centres have received this recognition, located in Delhi, Agartala, Chennai, and Ahmedabad.
Achieving Centre of Excellence status requires a hospital to provide comprehensive TB treatment alongside multispecialty care for other medical conditions. Additionally, such centres are expected to build capacity by guiding nearby hospitals and institutions through their expertise. While Sewri TB Hospital meets most of the National TB Elimination Programme guidelines necessary for this status, it currently lacks certain academic facilities. Hospital representatives have indicated plans to address these gaps in their proposal to the Central TB Division.
