The Union’s team in the Democratic Republic of Congo secured transfer from prison to hospital for 24 inmates infected with tuberculosis (TB), following a successful advocacy meeting with the Governor of Eastern Kasaï and local members of the Security Committee.
The central prison, Mbuji Mayi is the largest penitentiary centre in the DR Congo, housing a large number of prisoners who test positive for TB or multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Prisons pose significant challenges to infection control, as prison populations are commonly composed of marginalised populations that already suffer from higher rates of TB, coupled with the close living quarters that contribute to the spread of disease.
Through The Union’s advocacy efforts, the Governor and Security Committee have agreed not only to hospitalise and treat prisoners with TB, but also to decongest prison wards, therefore cutting down on the spread of TB to others.
The DR Congo Office is supported by a Challenge TB grant through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Challenge TB focuses on improving access to high-quality, patient-centred care for TB, TB-HIV and MDR-TB; preventing TB transmission and disease progression; and strengthening platforms for delivering TB services in the DRC.