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MoH launches TB mobile screening campaign
People enter a mobile clinic at the Health Ministry headquarters in Kampala on September 1, 2024 to undergo TB screening.PHOTO/TONNY ABET
What you need to know:
- Up to 200 in every 100,000 people in the country have TB, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry of Health has launched a tuberculosis community awareness, screening and testing (CAST) campaign to curb the spread of the disease in the country.
Tuberculosis (TB) CAST campaign, involves reaching out to people through door-to-door visitation, contact tracing and hotspot screening with the Ministry providing mobile clinics for people to access medical services.
Dr Stavia Turyahabwe, the assistant Commissioner for TB and Leprosy control programme at the Ministry, asked district leaders to identify hotspots. The Ministry, with other partners yesterday held the TB marathon and launch of TB CAST in Kampala on Sunday.
“During CAST, these vans are utilised by districts to reach the people who need to be screened and they screen them thoroughly. We also have mobile digital X-ray machines which can be put on a motorcycle or pickup vehicle to screen for TB and also identify people with other diseases like high blood pressure or heart issues and linked to relevant services,” she said on Sunday.
“Each district is expected to identify at least three hotspot areas for TB and conduct CAST and treatment of individuals with TB and other conditions,” she added.
Up to 200 in every 100,000 people in the country have TB, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health.
Dr Henry Mwebesa, the Director General Health Services at the Ministry said that since the inception of TB CAST two years back, over 221,000 new TB cases have been identified.
The TB marathon held on Sunday was meant to raise funds for building a TB ward in Iganga Hospital.
“We don’t want the ward to always be full with TB patients. We want to build this so that as we end TB as a public health problem, in case we get people with TB and they require where to rest from or to be stabilised, they can be managed there,” Dr Turyahabwe said.
Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng noted that they are promoting an integrated health programme.
“When you go out to look for TB, also look for other diseases –hypertension, HIV, malaria, and others that you can look so that we can reduce duplication and fragmentation of the health intervention, optimise the allocation of limited resources, improve collaboration across programmes and strengthen our health system so that we have a sustainable impact of the health outcome,” she said during the launch on Sunday.
