National TB and Leprosy Elimination Program NTLEP has said the 2030 target by the UN charter to end Tuberculosis is achievable if all the stakeholders continue collaborating in the fight against the disease.
Deputy Programs manager for NTLEP Dr. Tiyanjane Mwenyenkulu has said this as Malawi continues making positive strides in fighting against Tuberculosis with recent estimates indicate a decline in number of cases.
Dr. Mwenyenkulu has told radio Islam that the strategies being implemented by the organisation have improved access to TB services including early diagnosis and provision of treatment among other things which he says has assisted in the fight.
He stressed that the Implementation framework which highlights strategies like; Patient-centered care and prevention, Comorbidity and population at risk, Board policies and support systems as well as program management and research, has helped the country in reducing the Tuberculosis as tracked by the World Health Organization’s key indicators.
According to Dr. Mwenyenkulu, in 2024 the estimated number of people that were estimated to have developed TB per 100 thousand people was 113 cases, translating to around 24-25 thousand people developing new TB infection each year.
He further said in 2024, Malawi identified 19 000 TB cases implying that Malawi did not reach the estimated number of people as indicated by the WHO, meaning that the country had a treatment coverage gap of around 24 to 25 percent.
Dr. Mwenyenkulu however, stressed that the country has been reducing the cases as measurement of the key indicator dates back to 2015 where 197 people out of a hundred thousand who were developing Tuberculosis in which the treatment coverage gap was recorded at around 55 percent which is almost half the treatment coverage gap of 2024.
“If we measure it against the WHO target, the target was that we should reduce the 197 population by 50 percent as we were reaching 2025 ,so as of last year I cannot give you the exact figures( because the report goes back with 1 year in its assessment, meaning that the 2025 report will be released in 2026) but then, as of 2024 the reduction percent rate was 43 percent”, Dr. Mwenyenkulu explained.
He therefore expressed optimism that the country can perform well by 2030 highlighting the collaborative efforts between government ministries and departments in the fight against the disease.
“Noting that we only have one year, the country might hit the target or not, depending on the records, but as you can see, 7 percent is not that huge, so there is hope that the country might do well in achieving the 2030 target, he added.
Malawi aims to eliminate TB by 2030, with a focus on increasing internal funding, adopting the digital health systems, and strengthening community-based care.
BY: FATIMA IDA DAUDI
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