Since the 1960s, the Tanzanian government has been striving to improve access to quality healthcare, including primary care. However, tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health concern, with an estimated prevalence rate of 528 cases per 100,000 people. However, currently, only 36% of TB c...ases are detected, leaving many undiagnosed within the community. Challenges include low community awareness, long distances to diagnostic centres and delayed health-seeking behaviour.
To address these issues, the Ministry of Health (MOHCDGEC) adopted the ENGAGE TB approach, involving NGOs, civil society organisations (CSOs) and other non-state actors in community-based TB activities. This has increased the number of active organisations from five to approximately twenty.
Building on this success, the Ministry has developed national operational guidelines for community-based TB, TB/HIV and drug-resistant TB interventions, with the aim of improving collaboration between communities and health facilities. These guidelines will be updated regularly, and stakeholders are urged to comply fully with them and support TB control efforts.
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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3 and SDG 6 reinforce the need to ensure adequate WASH services, which will result in a reduction in maternal mortality, ending preventable newborn deaths, and providing quality universal health coverage. The rationale of the WASH guidelines is to document pro...cedures and provide a framework for strategic planning, implementation of functional and effective WASH services in healthcare facilities in Uganda. These guidelines offer a basis for creating the minimum conditions required for providing healthcare services in a healthy environment for healthcare workers, patients and visitors to the healthcare premises. They also serve as a tool for monitoring the performance of WASH in health care facilities.
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