KNCV Ethiopia trains Health Care Professionals to Enhance Community-Based DR-TB Care in South Ethiopia.
Wolayita Sodo, Ethiopia – In a significant step towards combating drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) through strengthening of the DR-TB service delivery, a two-days comprehensive training (per zone) was concluded from May 5 – 8, 2025 for health care workers (HCWs) from the Gedeo and Gofa Zones of the South Ethiopia Region. Jointly organized by the South Ethiopia Regional Health Bureau (RHB) and KNCV Ethiopia, this training sessions aimed to strengthen knowledge and foster community health extension worker (HEW)’s involvement in managing DR-TB, particularly through services delivered at local health posts.
About the training
The training brought a diverse group of participants
together, including HEWs from the health post level, TB officers and HEW coordinators from the Woreda office; TB officers, HEW coordinators and health center leads from the health centers, and zonal TB officers. The primary objective was to equip these frontline health professionals with the essential knowledge and skills to deliver person-centred DR-TB services directly within communities. This decentralized approach is crucial for overcoming key barriers to care, such as stigma, and the scarcity of nearby services.
The program also emphasized promoting community engagement and empowering local structures to provide holistic support across clinical, laboratory, social, and economic aspects of care in the future. Ultimately, the training seeks to strengthen early case detection, treatment adherence, and comprehensive support through community-driven approaches.
The training curriculum covered a range of critical topics including:
- Basics of TB, DR-TB, and Community TB Care;
- Community DR-TB Model of Care;
- Coordination and Program Management of CDR-TB Care;
- DR-TB Patient Management in the Community;
- Drug Supply Chain Management;
- Monitoring and Evaluation of CDR-TB Care; and
- Action Plan Development.
Strong participation was witnessed both from Gedeo and Gofa zones. Plus, 100% of the expected participants from both zones completed the training, forming a diverse and committed team ready to drive effective implementation of DR-TB care in their communities.
At the conclusion of the training, representatives from the Ministry of Health, Regional Health Bureaus, and the ASCENT DR-TB project engaged in a final joint discussion together with the participants. Important points were raised on the way forward and common understanding was achieved to enable moving on to implementation phase of the CDR-TB Care. The collaborative efforts witnessed from different stakeholders marks a significant stride towards improved DR-TB management and control in the South Ethiopia Region.
