adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
THE Bulilima Mangwe Tuberculosis death rate is sitting at 29 percent against a national threshold of five percent, an official has said. TB programme coordinator for the two districts, Tawurayi Moyo, said 2,398 patients were diagnosed with TB during the period ranging from 2011 to 2013.
Moyo, who was speaking at a TB and HIV/Aids coordinating meeting held at Plumtree District Hospital yesterday, said more than 74 percent of these patients were also HIV positive. “This is causing a lot of co-infection cases,” he said.
Moyo said the district had successfully treated 70 percent of TB patients against a national set target of 87 percent who should be treated successfully.
“The districts of Bulilima and Mangwe have a problem of TB cases. TB is preventable and can be treated but we’re having a challenge of high deaths and co-infections within the district. Our death rate ranges from 18 to 29 percent against a permissible threshold of five percent. This is a cause for concern.
“Our treatment success rate ranges from 63 to 73 percent compared to the expected 87 percent,” said Moyo.
He said health personnel were worried about patients who were not adhering to their TB treatment.
Moyo pointed out that the two districts had many TB patients that were not responding well to treatment, putting a number of people in the surroundings at risk.
He said some patients were not willing to visit health institutions for screening and collection of drugs.
Moyo said:
“Some of the patients treated within the two districts are people coming from neighbouring countries who’ve a tendency of seeking treatment when it’s too late. The bulk of these patients’ ages range from 24 to 54 years”.
Participants at the meeting pointed out that some patients were discouraged from making continuous visits to health institutions in the two districts because of the harsh treatment they received from nurses. They said the staff at health institutions should be more receptive.
A social services officer said villagers preferred to remain at the homesteads instead of facing the nurses’ insults continuously when collecting drugs.
The District Medical Officer for Bulilima, Dr Norbert Singini, said the district had some of the highest TB related deaths in the province.
Community TB care programme officer, Freddie Mutswairo, pointed out that various players partnered the Ministry of Health and Child Care in encouraging villagers to be screened early for TB.
“The problem is that some stakeholders believe that it’s the duty of the Ministry to reduce TB related deaths whereas it’s the duty of everyone. The Ministry needs the civil society to be involved as well in disseminating information which can influence the decisions made by villagers,” said Mutswairo.
He said local leadership, support groups and religious groups had to be actively involved.
Mutswairo said people had to be urged to seek treatment on time and adhere to their treatment if the country was to reduce the high death rate.
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