SADC launches new database on TB in mines across region

Dar es Salaam. The East Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) in collaboration with Southern African Development Community (SADC) has launched a database to store statistics on the trend of Tuberculosis in Mines within the 16 member bloc.

The database is expected to measure how the region was performing on TB in terms of whether SADC was on the right track or not and propose the way forward.

SADC Secretariat Programme Officer for Health and Nutrition, Dr. Willy Amisi, said the new system for regional day collection processes was developed to guide reporting on TB management.

“TB in the mining sector is a big project that covers 16 member states in the SADC region,” he said, noting that nine SADC states including Tanzania ranked among the highest burdens in the region and the world as a whole.

According to him, the database will help the region have collective data of all the member states as currently each country collects for its own nation. However the data will be centralized in one server and easy for the region to access.

“With this data the region will be able to determine how everyone is fairing and come to a decision on the way forward,” he said.

Stressing that it as informative to double down on TB programs especially as there has been a setback after the corona virus attack.

On his part, ECSA Research Operations and Institution Development, Mr Subusiso Sibandige said they were working with partners to ensure protection of miners and their families.

“The region will come up with policies that will look at issues including gender especially as there are women in the sector who are left behind because they work in small mines,” he said.

Explaining he said the Database will also help to sought out challenges including budget constraints.

The database is prepared by the University of Dar es Salaam.