HYDERABAD, MARCH 20: Little did the management, doctors and staff at the Mahavir Hospital and Research centre here expect that US President Bill Clinton would visit the hospital and cheer up the tuberculosis patients during his 'flying visit' here on March 24. A pioneer in starting dialysis unit in the state in the private sector, Mahavir Hospital was only one of the two places being short-listed for Clinton's visit here. The President would call on the TB patients at the hospital here, who underwent a six-month therapy under TB Eradication Programme funded by the World Bank and World Health Organisation (WHO), and administer final dose on some selected patients and declare them as cured. The day (March 24) being World TB Day, Clinton would also deliver a message."It is indeed a red letter day for all of us at the hospital, which was established in 1978 by Bhagwan Mahavir Memorial Trust as a tribute to lord Mahavir's ideology," Shanthilal Daga, managing trustee of the hospital, told PTI here. Mahavir Hospital is well-known for kidney transplantation and as a cardio-vascular centre. Mahavir Vikalanga Kendra was also actively involved in the control and eradication of tuberculosis in the city's slum areas through its 'Free TB clinic' since 1998, according to Shanthilal Daga. Selected under Direct Observation Treatment (DOT) programme, private practitioners could also refer the TB diagnosed patients to the hospital where they were given free treatment, counselling and medicine."Our indefatigable pursuit to work hard and achieve results in the control and eradication of TB has been taken note of," Daga said and attributed Clinton's visit to the hospital as a fitting recognition for its yeoman services in the medical field. He said a team of officials led by the British health minister had also visited the hospital recently. Situated at Masab Tank in the heart of the city, the hospital, which will celebrate its 22nd anniversary next month, has treated over 2,400 TB patients, a majority of them being poor people. The hospital has a network of teams in the city's slum areas, headed by Dr K J R Murthy which takes care of the TB patients. Hailing the scheduled visit of Clinton to the hospital, especially on the eve of its 22nd anniversary, Daga hoped it would further motivate and inspire the team of doctors and other paramedical staff to work even harder for the poor and suffering masses and realise the goals of Mahavir Buddha.
