“I commit to accelerate efforts to #EndTB”, Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng is quoted as having said.

CPAR Uganda Ltd (CPAR) salutes Dr. Aceng and reassures her that she is not alone in pursuing this noble cause. CPAR is privileged to be among a consortium of scientists who are currently engaged in a study that has the intention to contribute towards kicking tuberculosis (TB) out of East Africa, Africa and the World. The study is funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). Here below is information on the study.

TUBERCULOSIS: WORKING TO EMPOWER NATIONS’ DIAGNOSTICS EFFORT (TWENDE) is a study that is being conducted in the three East African Countries of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. TWENDE aims at understanding the barriers and identifying opportunities that improve diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in the East Africa Region.

In Uganda, the qualitative investigation for the study is being done by   Ms. Norah Owaraga,  in collaboration with the TWENDE Consortium Partners: University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom (Consortium Coordinator); Makerere University Kampala (Uganda); National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) – Mbeya Medical Research Centre (Tanzania); Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute (Tanzania); Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kenya) and the East African Health Research Commission.

Ms. Owaraga, who is the CPAR  Managing Director, is the Social Scientist for TWENDE. She is the lead researcher in the collection and analysis of qualitative data for the entire study. In Uganda she is responsible for collecting qualitative data through:

• Conducting 280 one-on-one interviews in 20 districts. The persons to be interviewed include Resident District Commissioners, District Chairpersons, Village Chairpersons, District Health Officers, Health Care Facility administrators, Health Personnel, TB patients and TB patient care givers.

• Carrying out Nine focus group discussions (FGDs – 25 persons each) in nine districts in the different regions of the Country. The participants of the FGDs will include district politicians, health personnel, TB patients, TB patients care givers and other village residents.

Field work is on-going during the first half of 2017. Similar investigations are taking place in Kenya and Tanzania. The TWENDE Consortium will utilise its findings to author publications and to engage with policy makers with the view of improving access to diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in the East Africa Region.

For more information on the TWENDE study in Uganda, please feel free to contact Prof. Christopher Garimoi Orach, who is the Board Chair of CPAR  and also the Deputy Dean of the School of Public Health of MUK or Dr. Alphonse Okwera, who is the Principal Investigator for TWENDE in Uganda and also the Head of the TB Unit of Mulago Hospital Kampala

Photo Credit: Ministry of Health – Uganda Face Book Page.