The research wing will be led by Dr Jayanthi Shastri, the ex-microbiology head of the department of BYL Nair Hospital, who was heading the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) laboratory and will be based at Kasturba Hospital in Chinchpokli.
“The wing will run fellowship courses on infectious diseases. We will be building and training cadre to handle various infectious diseases,” Dr Daksha Shah, executive health officer, BMC, said.
The city has been the epicentre of all the infectious diseases- Swine flu, Covid-19, tuberculosis, etc. Kasturba Hospital already has a PCR lab and a whole genome sequencing laboratory.
An MUHS official said that the wing will also decide on treatment protocols for infectious diseases.
“Infectious diseases have been on the rise for the last few decades. There was a need to have a research wing to not just find out what is happening in terms of viruses in the community but building healthcare professionals to deal with these diseases, set up treatment protocols and standard operation procedures,” said the official.
Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will provide the infrastructure, and MUHS will help with the staffing.
Although they are yet to design the courses, Dr Shah said the wing will start functioning by next month. “We have been doing research. This is official with the MUHS. The wing’s focus will be more on building the cadre-post graduate students, primary health care doctors,” she said. “It will help our doctors and other healthcare professionals to handle infectious diseases better,” she said.
Dr Subhash Salunkhe, epidemiologist and ex-chairman of the state covid-19 taskforce, said that the research wing will only be beneficial if it helps the government with coming out with the right health policies. “Having a research wing on infectious disease was long overdue, and every metro city like Mumbai should have one,” said Dr Salunkhe. “It is a good idea to pick Mumbai for the research wing as it has the largest slum pocket, and there are so many communicable/infectious diseases causing serious public health problems.”
Dr Salunkhe added that the research work will not only help health officials in Mumbai but also other cities with policy formation, and interventions in terms of infectious diseases. “Research is only fulfilling if it can contribute to controlling and eliminating the diseases. With the research wing in Mumbai, it can play the guiding role in the coming days,” he said.
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