Nigeria Gets Tuberculosis Notification Mobile App
INSTITUTE of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) and the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) have launched a mobile application for screening and notifying TB cases by private healthcare providers.
The app will also help find and treat more tuberculosis cases in Nigeria.
Dr. Patrick Dakum, CEO, IHVN, said that the application, Mobile Application for Tuberculosis Screening (MATS), launched in June was a game changer in the provision of real-time and online information on progress made by private-for-profit facilities, faith-based organisation facilities, patent medicine vendors, community pharmacists, private laboratories and other TB referral entities.
He said: "The application is already being used in Edo, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Anambra, Enugu, Rivers, Imo, and Abia states.
"Since MATS was launched on June 1st, 2020, there has been an increase in the TB screening efficiency and linkage between facility and community-based units. More than 19,000 people have been screened resulting in the identification of 1,286 TB presumptive individuals and 52 confirmed TB cases enrolled on treatment," he said.
The IHVN CEO explained that individuals who visit private health providers in the community are screened with standard TB symptom checklist on the app.
Thereafter, appropriate referral of clients or samples for diagnosis and treatment is initiated.
"Private providers can download the app from the Google Play Store or via a web link, register as a user and start using the app once activated by a TB treatment facility. All screening data from the various referral entities can be viewed on the treatment facility's dashboard and a summary on the mobile app," he said.
Dr. Obioma Chijioke- Akaniro, NTBLCP monitoring and evaluation manager, added that the app simply shows the efforts directed towards finding tuberculosis cases. "The simplicity of MATS makes it attractive to the private sector especially as they may not oblige to filling cumbersome tools," she said.
Dr. Chijioke-Akaniro said that MATS will be continually upgraded based on feedback from its users.
The application was developed and redesigned by PharmAccess to suit the peculiarities of private health providers in line with the national algorithm for TB screening and diagnosis.