BSES MG Hospital, Andheri (West), inaugurated its Centre of Excellence for Asthma Management last week to provide comprehensive care for patients with severe asthma.
Facility will serve as a ‘Nodal Centre’
Doctors at the 100-bed hospital, jointly managed by BSES, the Brahma Kumaris organization, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, said that the facility will serve as a ‘Nodal Centre’ that will be a referral center connected to 10-15 satellite branches. The Mumbai center will be one of the four such facilities in India. The facility will allow the sharing of information on cases across centers and bring patients from satellite centers to the nodal facility if required.
The facility includes diagnostic tools such as Pulmonary Function Test; Spirometry – a lung function test; FENO (Fractional Asthma Exhaled Nitric Oxide) testing which measures levels of nitric oxide in breath, an indication of asthma; DLCO (Diffusing Capacity for Carbon Monoxide) assessment for lung function, Oscillometry, a test to detect vibration in the airways – a diagnosis for lung function, allergy testing; CT scans, and blood tests.
Centre of Excellence will provide all diagnostics under one roof
“While hospitals and diagnostic centers provide these tests, facilities are scattered. Patients go to five or six places for a diagnosis,” said Dr. Agam Vora of the hospital. “Patients do not get a structured plan. The Centre of Excellence will provide all diagnostics under one roof.”
While there is no data on the national incidence of asthma, doctors estimated that 3-5% have the respiratory condition. “There is no reporting system, and patients keep on changing doctors,” said Vora who added that in a national population of 140 crores, the absolute number of asthma patients is high.
The hospital said that the facilities will help enhance the quality of life for asthma patients by providing timely diagnosis, efficient disease management, and monitoring of health conditions. The center will also provide a rehabilitation program for patients. An ‘adult immunization’ center is also on the anvil. Another addition at the center will be a training center for diagnostic technicians.
Center equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure
The center is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, facilities, and a team of senior chest physicians like Dr. Jaysingh Phadtare, Dr. Mangesh Tiwaskar, Dr. Prajay Luniya, apart from Dr. Vora.
The center was inaugurated by Dr. Madhu Chopra, B K Yogini, managing director of Brahma Kumaris and Global Hospital and Research Centre Managing BSES MG Hospital.
