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South Africa: Umsinga Successfully Cuts TB Defaulter Rate
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BuaNews (Tshwane)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 28 March 2008
Gabi Khumalo
uMsinga
The KwaZulu-Natal sub-district which had reported the country's first case of Extreme Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has now reported a zero percent rate of TB patients who default on their treatment.
uMsinga which includes the Tugela Ferry and Church of Scotland Hospitals had been in the frontline of the war against XDR-TB which has claimed more than 184 lives in 2006.
XDR-TB develops in patients who fail to complete their TB treatment.
The reduction in defaulter rate is one of the achievements of the National TB Control Programme that are expected to be highlighted by Health Minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang at a national event to mark the World TB day in Upington, Northern Cape on Friday.
During the event, Minister Tshabalala-Msimang will announce the allocation of an additional R33 million towards the TB Treatment Defaulter Tracing programme.
This programme is expected to further decrease the defaulter rate, which was made a priority for the department earlier this year.
The funds will be used to deploy an additional 72 teams in sub-districts which have poor TB treatment rate.
Minister Tshabalala-Msimang said defaulting patients was one of her department's biggest challenges.
"If we improve TB treatment outcomes, drug resistant TB should decrease," she said.
In February the minister said she aimed to reduce the number of TB patients who default on their treatment, from 10 percent to 7 percent this year.
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She said they would be focusing on the implementation of the five-year strategic plan, which outlines the target of improving the cure rate of TB and reducing the defaulter rate from 10 to 7 percent.
At the time she said 3000 health workers were to be trained in TB management during the course of the year.
This would ensure patients received the proper health care they deserved.
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