Health
With reference to the approximately 150 000 missing TB patients in SA during 2018 according to the national TB Prevalence Survey:
- (a) How many of these missing TB patients are located in the province and (b) what is the count of TB patients in the province in (i) 2017/18, (ii) 2018/19, (iii) 2019/20, (iv) 2020/21 and (v) 2021/22 to date;
(a) how will her Department manage the use of its mobile X-ray clinic to serve rural areas in the province, (b) what are her departmental aims in the use of the unit, (c) what were the costs involved in acquiring this unit and (d) how will the aims proposed under the 90-90-90 TB Strategy in the province be integrated with the work of the WC TB Caucus?
- a) Each province is allocated a target to contribute towards the overall National number. In the Western Cape 53,718 TB cases were reported from the province which are measured against the trajectory of the National Department of Health.
These are pulmonary cases diagnosed through NHLS only, other forms of diagnoses, extra-pulmonary TB, does not form part of that NHLS breakdown, but are included as other with the overall diagnoses in that reporting periods.
(b) 2017 – 34 958
2018 – 36 844
2019 – 35 385
2020 – 28 448
2 (a) The Mobile X-rays is currently being piloted under TBHIV care, if results from this pilot proves to have good outcomes, then Ndoh will recommend and direct provinces on the roll-out across the country, including rural sites.
(b) The national TB prevalence survey showed that 58% of people detected with TB had no TB symptoms and were only detected by digital chest X-ray (CXR). The Department would therefore scale up access to digital CXR for screening to increase TB diagnosis.
© The cost estimate is R2.88m (excl VAT). This is based on the most recent contracts with a service provider that provided a container, x-ray machine and this includes the proportionate software fees allocable to one machine.
(d) The aims of the 90-90-90 TB Strategy are to reach at least 90% of all people who need TB treatment and prevention, to reach at least 90% of people in key populations and achieve at least 90% treatment success among people diagnosed with TB or who are eligible for preventive therapy. The work of the WC TB Caucus would support this through the involvement of parliamentarians to adopt the Barcelona Declaration to advocate for resources and policies supportive of TB prevention, care & treatment, research and development of new tools to fight TB and to identify and influence policies supportive of TB prevention and care and treatment.
