This set of policy briefs is an output of the Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (EIDM) Training of Trainers (ToT) programme, led by LIGHT's partner, AFIDEP. The briefs are authored by representatives from the National Tuberculosis Programmes in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Uganda, following their participation in the ToT. They demonstrate their strengthened capacity for evidence-informed decision-making, with the support of LIGHT. Each brief focuses on context-specific challenges and suggested strategies to address TB.
Enhancing Supply Chain Management for Tuberculosis Commodities in Kenya:Addressing Key Challenges: Kenya faces significant challenges in managing the supply chain TB commodities, including inconsistent drug supplies, poor reporting, and weak infrastructure. These issues lead to treatment interruptions and the spread of drug-resistant TB strains, undermining efforts to end the epidemic. Strengthening supply chain management through better coordination across ministries, improved storage practices, and quality record-keeping measures is critical to ensuring a consistent and uninterrupted supply of TB medications and diagnostic tools. Addressing these gaps will enhance treatment outcomes and reduce TB-related morbidity and mortality.
Improving Tuberculosis Case Reporting Systemsand Processes in Malawi: In Malawi, reliance on a paper-based TB reporting system presents challenges in accurately documenting and tracking cases, leading to gaps in treatment and data quality. Efforts to transition to digital systems have faced logistical issues over the years. To address, Malawi must integrate user-friendly digital reporting system and strengthen the capacity of TB officers to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of TB case management - including timely data collection to inform programmatic decisions and improve treatment outcomes.
Strategies to Enhance Food Provision to Improve Treatment Outcome Among TB Patients in Nigeria: In Nigeria, TB is exacerbated by poverty and associated factors like undernourishment, HIV, diabetes and substance use, with undernourishment as the primary driver. Economic hardships and food insecurity often lead to discontinued treatment, increase in TB transmission and development of drug-resistant TB. The provision of food baskets and cash transfers has shown promise in improving treatment adherence, reducing transmission and achieving better outcomes, highlighting the need for comprehensive social protection measures integrated with TB care.
Enhancing Integrated CommunityTB Case-Finding and Prevention Strategies to Reduce the Burden of TB in Uganda: To achieve a substantial reduction in TB incidence, Uganda needs to implement innovative and integrated approaches to TB case-finding and prevention. The National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Programme (NTLP) has launched several initiatives, including the CAST-TB campaigns, which combine community awareness, active case-finding, and prevention efforts. This brief highlights the need for integrating TB services with other health programmes, scaling up proven interventions like mobile X-ray and computer-aided detection (CAD) technologies, and improving resource allocation to improve TB notification rates and reduce undiagnosed cases driving TB transmission.