Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Nairobi Slums TB Project

last updated Sep 27, 2011

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Malteser International
Implementation Partner(s): 
The Kenyan MOH
Legal Status: 
Public-private partnership
Year Launched: 
2001
Stage: 
Existing/expansion stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
Bottom 20%

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor
Additional Source(s) of Funding: 
Government

Scale

Personnel Employed: 
10-49
Number of Clients Served: 
600,000 [catchment area]
Number of Facilities Operated/Networked: 
10 MOH Health Clinics in the slums of Nairobi
Other Measures of Scale: 
1440 health education sessions have been conducted; 1,700 coughers against target of 3,350 have been referred for screening and 10% of these were positive cases; 260 very sick TB patients have been given home based care; 50 patients have benefited from nutrition support
Summary: 

Nairobi Slums TB Project was started to bring TB testing facilities closer to the people in the slums of Nairobi. The overall objective of the project is to enhance prevention and care of tuberculosis through intensified case finding in the communities, through community health workers.

Program goals/rationale: 

When Malteser International started the project there were only two places to be tested for TB in Nairobi - Kenyatta Hospital and Kemri. Both were in the centre of Nairobi and the test for TB being a sputum sample taken on 3 consecutive mornings, it was inaccessible to most TB sufferers, as they could not afford the transport or the time off work. Therefore it appeared from the records that TB had almost disappeared from Kenya. It also took up to one month for the results to be given.

Key program components: 

Having identified 10 MOH Health Clinics spread across all areas of Nairobi, Malteser International equipped each one with a laboratory and testing centre for TB, so that there can be immediate diagnosis and treatment can begin within 24 hours.

Malteser International has a team of 60 volunteer Community Health Workers, who all live in the slum communities in which they work. They are not paid, but are given small incentives such as lunch and transport money. When the TB patients are too ill to get out of bed and attend the clinics the CHWs care for them at home. All the 48 CHWs were issued with safari boots that they wear while carrying out community activities. For visibility and identification in the communities all 48 CHWs were bought polo shirts and back packs containing first aid kits.

So far 723 smear positive TB contacts have been traced and screened for TB and 10% are smear positive. Also, to date CHWs have referred and linked 800 of the TB patients with other partners to assist them with additional needs.

Program history: 

The project has been extremely successful and the government has awarded it on two separate occasions and also adopted the Malteser International model for CHWs and are using it for their own clinics and projects.

Hide this

Need help?

Using the CHMI Programs Database

  • Browse: Browse the database by applying one or more filters to narrow your search by characteristics. Click the "x" to remove any of the filters you've selected. Click "reset search" to remove all filters and start over.
  • Search: Search the database for a specific program by typing a name or keyword into the search box.
  • Add: If the program you're looking for is not in the CHMI database, submit the program to the CHMI pipeline by clicking here to add a program profile.
  • Update: If you notice incorrect or outdated information, or would like to help complete a profile for a CHMI pipeline program, request a change by clicking here, or at the top of the program profile.

Have a question? Check the FAQs first. Don’t see your question? Contact us.