Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) is critical in health facilities to avoid transmission of diseases. However, IPC measures cannot be well executed without competently trained healthcare workers. Hence, the USAID Tuberculosis Local Organizations Network (TBLON) has trained 189 health workers in six districts across Northern and Muchinga Provinces in Tuberculosis (TB) infection prevention and control.

The training aimed at equipping healthcare workers with essential knowledge and understanding of how to prevent the spread of TB in health facilities.

One beneficiary of the IPC training was 24-year-old Tawila Muwahi, a Registered Nurse working at Mbala Correctional Health Facility in Mbala district, who attested to the skills she learned from the training and how she intended to apply the skills to her workplace.

Like many other healthcare workers, Tawila has been practising her nursing with limited knowledge and understanding of some aspects of TB infection prevention and control. Her work involves screening and managing presumptive TB cases at the facility. Tawila’s attendance at a three-day IPC training in July 2023 proved worthwhile.

“I used to struggle to plan IPC activities, but I can now make an assessment and plan for infection prevention and control activities for my facility. I can now confidently put administrative and managerial, environmental and integrated waste management as well as respiratory controls of TB at my facility’’, Says Tawila

She further said she will adequately supervise the whole process of cleaning and disinfection in her facility and ensure that the knowledge acquired on TB IPC will be shared with her workmates to avoid a skills gap.

In addition to infection prevention and control training, TBLON conducts joint supportive supervisory visits with the district health office and facility staff.

 Through these interventions, the TBLON-supported facilities have improved community service provision.

TBLON’s periodic environmental compliance self-assessment, a unique feature of the project, also revealed the need for healthcare workers to gain more knowledge of environmental management, especially on issues related to integrated waste management.