Tuberculosis remains a problem in our community. Solutions start with finding everyone who suffers from it. Most recent estimates indicate that only 72% of patients who have TB are detected by the healthcare system in Malawi, despite 18,025 cases being found and reported in 2022 across the nation.

Against this background, a thorough study of our current practice compared to the national standards was made by global health intern Jara, with support from Dr January, TB-officer Rex Liweile, and others. Jara produced a report detailing strengths and weaknesses, which now has led to a first quality improvement project by medical students from the family medicine programme in Blantyre.

At the same time, the hospital is upgrading space to host a conveniently located tuberculosis office. The renovation also creates space for a few other functions – a quiet corner for our ombudswoman to meet clients and an IT-office.

For more information about tuberculosis in Malawi see: https://hub.tbdiah.org/dashboards/countries/malawi