Community-Based TB Care: Experience from ... - CORE Group

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Community Based TB care through former TB patients’ social clubsorganize the funds of which some poor patients can be provided with food for bettertreatment results through referral and linkage systems.• Collaboration between health workers and former TB patients in TB controlAll the activities concerning TB control implemented by MUKIKUTE have been plannedbefore in collaboration with the Council through TB control programme. The health workersincluding the programme coordinators should be present especially during sensitizationmeetings and trainings, to ensure the correctness of the messages provided by former TBpatients as well as responding to the technical issues rise. In trainings, the coordinators aremostly used as the TOTs in all issues of TB control at district and community levels.Health workers accompany with former TB patients of the respective area in defaultertracing. This collaboration provides the testimony that TB is a curable disease as long as thewhole course of treatment has taken as instructed. This has also providing the opportunity ofeducating the whole family and other TB contacts, showing them that they are alsoresponsible in TB control.Health education and talks at the centres have been successfully conducted by former TBpatients with the guidance of health workers. The sessions have to be short like 30 minutesto avoid boring the patients. The topics have to be well pre-planned.The sharing out of former TB patients for home based DOT patients’ support is usually baseon the residential areas of the patient and the supporter for easy supervision. One formerTB patients is allocated to not more than three patients.3.2 Recommendation• All districts are recommended to establishment former TB patients’ clubs to be involved incommunity based TB care, basing on the MUKIKUTE experience. The major activities forthe clubs are recommended to include conducting sensitization gatherings and trainings;defaulter and TB contact tracing; and supervising patients under home based DOT.• Only committed former TB patients have to be enrolled to the club. This is recommendedbasing on the fact that, most of the time especially in initial stages, they will be volunteersand they will be needed to contribute for the club as well. This could be successful only ifformer TB patients are well informed and trained on TB control activities without promisingfor any incentives.• Club registration is recommended for easy management, functioning and for acceptabilityby the partners and the community at large.• Former TB patients have to be involved in community TB care activities at community,district and regional levels. It is better for the CBTC activities to be planned togetherbetween the Councils and TB clubs. Health workers are recommended to provide technicalExperience from Temeke Page 15
Community Based TB care through former TB patients’ social clubsassistance and a maximum cooperation for capacity building among the former TB patientsfor taking up an active role in the fight against TB.• TB control programme at district level is recommended to allocate funds through CCHP forformer TB patients’ support to strengthen community based TB care in their respectivedistricts Councils should also assist the formed TB clubs in establishing income generatingactivities for their sustainability. The programme at district and regional level should alsoassist them in mobilising resources from donors. Edu-entertainments is important toestablish as them can be used both for sensitization and hired in different occasions as astrategy for income generation.• Conducting training and working with influential people like traditional healers isrecommended. There should be a defined mechanism for capturing data of TB suspectsreferred by traditional healers and their sputum examination results.ConclusionThe involvement of former TB patients as informants and treatment supporters revealed to beeffective in TB control. Empowerment of TB patients has enabled them to be ambassadors inpublic gatherings and has increased their importance and become role models in combating thedisease through their testimony. This situation has motivated other TB patients to participate inTB control activities. Involvement of ex- TB patients has impacted the reduction of stigma andhence encouraging early care seeking behavior among TB patients.In view of this experience from Temeke, all councils across the country are encouraged to adoptthis approach for effective scaling up of community TB care.Experience from Temeke Page 16
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Community-Based TB Care: Experience from ... - CORE Group

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