TB care set to improve

Healthcare workers in Kenya will from now be more accountable to those they treat following the launch on Monday of the International Standards for Tuberculosis Care.

Public Health and Sanitation minister Beth Mugo said during the function in Mombasa that there was urgent need to refocus on TB infection control, particularly in prisons and high risk settings such as hospitals.

“My ministry is fully committed to offering quality services to the patients and thus the launch of the International Standards for TB care marks the initial step and a foundation for the Division of Leprosy, TB and Lung Diseases to be ISO certified by the end of this year,” she said.

She was addressing 250 district and provincial TB managers who had converged in Mombasa for a five-day biennial planning meeting of the Division of Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases.

Mrs Mugo asked all healthcare workers to familiarise themselves with the standards and work towards meeting them as they would be used to evaluate health facilities on the quality of services that they offered.

The minister also launched the Patients Charter for Tuberculosis Care, which outlines the rights of people with the disease.

Mrs Mugo said the charter was initiated and developed by patients from all over the world to empower them and their communities through knowledge.

“Empowering people about their health is the catalyst for effective collaboration with healthcare providers and authorities and is essential to victory in  the fight against diseases, including TB,” said the minister.

Infection increased

She said it was essential for every patient to be provided with a copy of the charter to ensure they were aware of their rights.

Mrs Mugo said that despite free diagnosis and treatment at Government and faith-based health facilities, the rate of infection had increased six-fold compared to the pre-HIV era, ranking Kenya 13th of the 22 most burdened countries in the world with 116,723 new cases.

“It is equally shocking to learn that 70 per cent of the TB cases reported are between 15 and 34 years,” she added.