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Kenya: Ministry Failed TB, Aids Test
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
30 April 2008
Posted to the web 30 April 2008
Elizabeth Mwai And Evelyne Ogutu
Nairobi
The Ministry of Public Health has owned up: It mismanaged TB for not screening patients who go for HIV testing.
Minister for Medical Services, Prof Anyang' Nyong'o, comforts Ms Getrude Muli at Kenyatta National Hospital. At left is the hospital's board chairperson, Mrs Margaret Wanjohi. Picture by Moses Omusula
The Director of Health Promotion, Dr Nicholas Muraguri, said only 20 per cent of people on ARVs had been tested for TB as opposed to 80 per cent of patients with TB being screened for HIV. Muraguri announced that a campaign that would be launched next week in Nairobi and later in Nyanza to boost awareness on TB and HIV/Aids.
"Patients seeking to be tested for HIV should also insist on TB testing and vice versa," Muraguri said.
Speaking at a media workshop in Nairobi, Muraguri said TB was the number one killer of people living with HIV, yet not enough was being done. Annually, Kenya invests up to Sh2.5 billion for TB activities, but the level of awareness is still low.
Muraguri said the campaign would target health workers to give them relevant skills to tackle TB and HIV.
He explained that health workers were critical because they initiate treatment for HIV and TB. Medical research has shown that 50 per cent of people with HIV also have TB.
Currently 50,000 Kenyans have TB, but they are not aware and pose a great risk to themselves and others.
Meanwhile, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) is modernising its operations. A Sh300 million information communication and technology project envisaged is in its second phase. It started last month and is expected to be complete in three years.
KNH Director, Dr Jotham Micheni, said the project targeted key sections in the hospital and included wide network infrastructure and software installation.
The sections targeted are the pharmacy, human resources, finance, medical records, supplies and clinical areas.
Briefing the Medical Services minister, Prof Anyang Nyong'o, during a tour of the referral hospital on Tuesday, Micheni said it was time tele-medicine was introduced in managing health institutions to decongest referral and major hospitals.
Telemedicine is a new technology where telecommunication is used to transmit medical information.
The minister and PS, Dr Hezron Nyangito, said the health sector should computerise its operation.
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Nyong'o said KNH, the biggest referral hospital in East and Central Africa, needed to spread its tentacles and set up satellite centres in major towns.
Such centres should be manned through telemedicine.
"A patient should not travel all the way from Mombasa or Busia to seek specialised treatment at KNH. Satellite centres manned via computer would deal with this. We need a few doctors and nurses in such centres," said Nyong'o.
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| Copyright © 2008 The East African Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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