Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Senior Health Reporter
Zimbabwe is intensifying efforts to strengthen its response to drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), with the Government and its partners moving to address gaps in care and treatment following a recent nationwide consultative process.
Findings and recommendations from the study were shared during a high-level consultative meeting that brought together policymakers, health experts, civil society organisations and affected communities, signalling renewed momentum to improve outcomes and save lives.
Zimbabwe continues to make progress in the fight against tuberculosis, with expanded diagnostic capacity, improved access to treatment and increased community engagement.
However, DR-TB remains a major concern due to its complexity and the need for prolonged and closely monitored treatment.
Jointed Hands Welfare Organisation (JHWO) executive director Dr Donald Tobaiwa said the consultations, conducted under a targeted programme, were a critical step towards identifying practical solutions to strengthen the country’s response.
“Under the COMBAT DR-TB programme supported by UNITAID, we held consultations with experts, civil society and healthcare workers to identify the DR-TB leaky cascade at country level to find solutions. We were looking at the entire continuum, from prevention and case-finding up to care and support.
“When we looked at outcomes between 2019 and 2025, we realised that we have been hovering around 68 percent treatment success. The findings, therefore, sought to understand why we are not reaching 100 percent treatment success and what needs to be done to close that gap,” he said.
The consultative process builds on ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Health and Child Care to improve TB services, including decentralisation of care and provision of financial support to patients undergoing treatment.
Experts say these measures, combined with targeted interventions informed by the study, are expected to improve treatment outcomes significantly.
“At facility level, the teams of experts that oversee DR-TB cases were not consistently meeting due to challenges such as staff turnover and lack of refresher training, largely driven by human resource movements,” he said.
“Another major finding was the burden of catastrophic costs, where patients are spending significant amounts to access services, including transport, diagnostics, food and user fees.”
Gaps were also identified in the availability of medical services due to the recentralisation of services, as well as delays in laboratory turnaround times.
Dr Tobaiwa said closing the gap in treatment success remains a key priority, especially given that DR-TB is both preventable and treatable.
“These are issues that can be addressed through strengthening procurement systems, improving coordination and mobilising domestic resources to ensure that patients receive timely and effective care,” he said.
“There is no reason for having a treatment success of 68 percent. That gap represents deaths and patients lost. Between 2019 and 2025, about 25 percent of DR-TB patients died, while seven percent were lost in the continuum of care.”
With the availability of shorter regimens, Dr Tobaiwa said the country is now in a better position to ensure that patients completed treatment.
Regional TB technical advisor for Zimbabwe Trust, Dr Tawanda Mapuranga said Zimbabwe is already implementing key interventions that are transforming patient care.
“The country has made significant strides in improving interventions to fight TB, including strengthening diagnostics and ensuring that patients are tested for drug resistance.”
These efforts are supported by surveys and partner programmes that help identify cases early and initiate appropriate treatment. One of the major improvements has been the shift from long, injectable regimens to shorter, all-oral treatments that can last as little as six months. This is a major milestone because previously treatment could take up to two years, which was difficult for patients to complete.”
He added that complementary support systems are helping patients adhere to treatment and recover fully. Due to the nature of the disease, patients face not only physical suffering but also psychosocial challenges.
Dr Mapuranga said Zimbabwe is implementing interventions to provide support, including food assistance and helping with critical investigations needed to monitor treatment.
“Civil society organisations are also playing a key role in community engagement, promoting access to services and supporting patients throughout their treatment journey, thereby making the response more comprehensive and patient-centred,” he said.
Patients who have successfully undergone treatment say improved access to care and shorter regimens are making a real difference, although early diagnosis remains critical.
For Ms Getrude Muchekenya (27), who was diagnosed with Drug-Resistant TB in 2022, access to treatment ultimately saved her life despite the challenges she faced.
“I fell ill in 2022 when I was in Form Three. I had been coughing and losing weight for about four months before I was taken to the clinic where I tested positive for TB and was referred for treatment,” she said.
“The medication was intense, and I experienced side effects, but I eventually started to recover. However, I also faced stigma at home and in my community, as people avoided sharing utensils with me and made assumptions about my illness. It was only my mother who stood by me during that difficult time.”
Mrs Muchekenya said sustained support was key to ensuring patients completed treatment successfully.
“It was not an easy journey because we struggled financially, and sometimes we would go hungry after spending money on transport to the clinic. TB treatment requires proper nutrition, so it was very difficult when food was limited,” she said.
Another TB survivor, Mrs Grace Katsiga (49) said her experience highlights the importance of seeking timely medical care.
“I got ill in 2002, but because I did not know what was happening to me, I spent a lot of time seeking help from different prophets and shrines, hoping to be cured. It was only after my sister insisted that I go to a clinic that I was properly tested and diagnosed with TB,” she said.
Mrs Katsiga said the shift to shorter treatment regimens is a welcome development for patients.
“I encourage people to go to clinics for treatment and not waste time going elsewhere as that delays recovery. The treatment was painful, but I improved once I started it. I am grateful that regimens have now been reduced from 24 months to about six months, which reduces the chances of default.”
With stakeholders now focused on implementing the study’s recommendations, Zimbabwe is poised to strengthen its response further, improve treatment success rates and move closer to eliminating DR-TB as a public health threat.
