admin
Leroy Dzenga in Bulawayo
Some employers in Zimbabwe are not empathetic to the plight of workers diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB), a study has revealed.
A national survey by the Ministry of Health and Child Care National Tuberculosis Control Programme established that a significant percentage of people diagnosed with TB lost their jobs as a result. The study was meant to understand the costs faced by those diagnosed with TB in the country.
“On average, 27 percent of respondents reported that they lost their jobs as a consequence of TB, of which 41 percent were informal workers and 36 percent were formal workers. Nearly half of drug- resistant TB patients lost their jobs,” read the report extract.
The study also found out that being diagnosed with the disease resulted in loss of income. “Half of TB patients reported an annual income below US$1 800 prior to the TB diagnosis, which decreased to US$888 after TB diagnosis. On average, a drug-susceptible TB patient loses about a third of their pre-TB income, while a drug-resistant TB patient experiences loss of more than 90 percent,” noted the report.
Drug-susceptible TB is easily responsive to medication, while drug-resistant TB is a stubborn strain. Deputy Director Aids and TB Unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Charles Sandy said the prejudice against employees could be emanating from lack of information. “I think it is an issue of people not having enough information on TB and how its treatment works,” he said.
“There are some who believe if one is diagnosed with TB, it is the end of the road, but that is wrong with treatment, TB is defeatable.”
The study is a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, USAID Challenge TB initiative.
Online Reporter