The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) has handed over new Electrocardiogram (ECG) machines worth over K270, 000.00 to the Lusaka Provincial Health Office.

Speaking at the official handover ceremony held at the Lusaka Provincial health office today, Director TB programs and Chief of Party Tuberculosis Local Organisations Network (TBLON) project, Dr Monde Muyoyeta, thanked the Ministry of Health for its continued partnership with CIDRZ in the quest to ensure a Zambia, and a region, in which all people have access to quality healthcare and enjoy the best possible health.

“As CIDRZ, we hope that the seven (7) ECG machines will contribute towards the managing of the multi drug resistant TB,” said Dr Muyoyeta.

Dr Muyoyeta noted that the handover of ECG machines has been made possible with support from USAID through the TBLON project which is part of what is referred to as the global accelerator program for Tuberculosis.

This targets countries like Zambia which are high burden countries for tuberculosis and have been added to benefit from extra resources to support TB response programs. “Monitoring of patients with drug resistant TB with the ECG machines will go a long way in improving their outcomes ,” said Dr Muyoyeta.

Receiving the donation, Lusaka Provincial Health Director, Dr. Consity Mwale thanked CIDRZ on behalf of the province for donating the ECG machines to the province and promised to take good care and use of the equipment in ensuring that they reach out to the communities in the province.

Speaking in a speech read on his behalf by Head of Health Promotions Environment and Social Determinants, Dr. Chola Chongo, Dr. Mwale appealed to the existing supporting partners such as CIDRZ, to procure more of such equipment to expand the TB diagnostic capabilities for the province.

“Lusaka Province is one of the provinces with the highest prevalence of TB in the country and as a province, we have seen an increase in the number of extrapulmonary TB such as TB pericarditis being recorded among the TB patients.” Said Dr. Mwale

He further explained that the Ministry of Health through the national TB and Leprosy program had prioritized innovations such as ECG, Urine LAM, gene Xpert and others as critical tools in TB screening, diagnosis and management of patients.  

Dr Mwale noted that clinical diagnosis has however, continued to be a challenge in the province due to the absence of diagnostic equipment in most of the facilities both in urban and rural districts.

An ECG machine helps doctors to quickly evaluate the performance of the heart by diagnosing the cause of chest pains and other heart related complications. The seven ECG machines were procured at a total cost of ZMW 272,800.00 and are expected to be distributed to six (6) subdistricts in Lusaka district including one (1) for Chilanga district.