Health workers tout TB project

Healthcare workers in Mangochi, Machinga and Mulanje districts have commended Development Aid from People to People (Dapp) for supporting the fight against tuberculosis (TB).

Speaking in an interview on Saturday, Mangochi-based St Martin Health Centre in-charge Hope Chipatali said the project has revamped community structures in screening,testing and tracking TB patients through community volunteers and community healthcare workers.

He said: “There is a huge improvement as we are able to detect and treat people while the disease is in its early stage.

“This is because Dapp has deployed 75 fast promoters who actively find cases at the facility and community healthcare workers and volunteers to sensitise about TB, collect samples and track patients on treatment.”

Robert Phiri, a medical assistant at Ntaja Health Centre in Machinga, said TB is easy to cure, but it was not easy to treat because they would wait for patients to come on their own.

“Unfortunately, they would come while the disease was at an advanced stage,” he said.

Martha Khoviwa, Dapp fast promoter based at Mulanje Mission Hospital, said between October and December 2022, they registered 198 TB cases at the hospital.

“Others were cured after treatment while the rest are still on treatment in various facilities,” she said.

Dapp chief of party Mtisunge Phiri said they trained 75 fast promoters and 105 community volunteers deployed in 21 health facilities in the three districts to conduct TB screening, linking them for testing and ensuring that those diagnosed with TB receive treatment on time.

“Our target is to detect 500 cases in a year. But we have detected more than 1 800 TB cases in three districts within a year,” she said.

Dapp distributed 105 bicycles to community volunteers, 75 to fast promoters and three motorbikes to each of the three districts.

Dapp is implementing a Tuberculosis Local Organisation project with funding from USAid.