Health workers in Kasungu, Nkhotakota and Mzimba South say some people are always reluctant to go for Tuberculosis (TB) test because they are afraid that they would also be tested for HIV.
During a visit to Kasungu, Nkhotakota and Mzimba South District Hospitals, health authorities told journalists that despite registering number of patients suffering from the diseases, they have noted that members of communities are afraid of HIV test, yet health workers do not test for HIV without a patient’s permission.
District Health and Social Services (DHSS) for M’mbelwa District Council Ted Bandawe said Malawians who are living in South Africa are failing to follow the medical prescription that health care personnels give them whenever they are found with TB and when they travel back to other countries, they stop taking the medication a situation that is putting many lives at risk.
Bandawe added that they are doing some engagements with health authorities in South Africa to make sure that whenever a TB patient travels to South Africa while on treatment they should be able to continue the treatment while living there.
“What we are currently doing is to encourage our patients to always follow our prescriptions and when we know that this person is going to travel, we make sure that he or she has enough medication which can last for six months also to protect the life of that person, although it is against our laws but we apply this whenever a person is at risk,” he explained.
TB Officer for Kasungu District Wongani Maseko after noted that mineworkers and cement companies are at risk of getting.
He said the hospital decided to work together with Shayona Cement Corporation to make sure that people who are working at the company are in good environment.
Maseko noted that those people they regularly find themselves facing dangerous situations that put them at risk of injury or illness.
“Cement company workers are at risk environments of TB transmission, the same with miners because they experience some of the highest rates of the disease across any population,” he explained.
On his part, Shayona Cement Corporation Occupation, Health and Safety Officer Lyton Chongwe said that they have a clinic at the company which provides medical assistance to the workers.
Chongwe made it clear that they always put the workers’ safety at first and they usually make sure that they are wearing face masks and other personal protective equipment.
However, Nkhotakota District Hospital like other Hospitals, established a sputum collection point and there is a group of people who work as volunteers to collect sputum from people in communities.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person. It mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the tummy (abdomen), glands, bones and nervous system.
Nkhotakota District Hospital registered 62 cases of TB in 2021 and 48 in 2022. Out of 62 of patients 5 were children.
Kasungu District Hospital Last year registered 154 cases of TB and 178 this year. Out of the 178 cases, 23 cases are children.
Mzimba South District Hospital recorded 127 cases last year and 141 this year.
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