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Kudzai Chikiwa, Chronicle Reporter

GOVERNMENT has availed four mobile trucks for Tuberculosis (TB) screening services countrywide to hot spots and hard to reach areas after noting that such communities experience challenges in accessing health services.

In an interview, the programme manager for Targeted Screening for TB programme, Dr Vimbai Mandizvidza said one truck has started working in Matabeleland South while three others are being serviced.

“We are using one truck which has an X-ray machine inside but the other three which are being serviced are better equipped as they have laboratories. After taking patients’ specimen, it can be tested in the laboratory and we get results instantly,” she said.

Dr Mandizvidza said after screening, those with TB are referred to their local clinics for treatment.

“We work closely with local health care givers who are in a position to identify individuals likely to be suffering from TB, ” she said.

The programme manager said in the past weeks, a team of ten health workers including locals conducted the screening in Bulilima and Mangwe and this week they will be in Matobo district.

“The programme is mainly targeting the 21 TB burdened districts in the country. Matabeleland provinces constitute a large percentage of TB cases in Zimbabwe. We spotted specific areas that are hard to reach and have large populations where we are going to carry out the screening,” she said.

Dr Mandizvidza said the screening targets high risk groups like people living with HIV, people who have direct contact with TB patients, miners and ex-miners, elderly and below fives.

She said the programme is meant to decentralise TB screening from health centres to communities.

“This is in line with Government’s thrust to reduce TB by or before 2030.It has been observed that the most affected people who cannot access health services are in the hard to reach areas,” she said.

“The response in Matabeleland has been good and on average we are attending to 150 people a day,” said Dr Mandizvidza.

Dr Mandizvidza encouraged people to be screened against TB.

“TB is curable disease. People who have symptoms or have been in close contact with affected people should be screened for TB,” she said.- @tamary98