National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Programme (NTLP)

14 March, 2019 | United Republic of Tanzania |3512 views

The National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Programme (NTLP) was launched by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in 1977 as a single combined Programme for the two diseases. In the fight of these two chronic epidemic diseases the Ministry has joined hands with various international and local developmental partners.

Among international development partners include; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Global Fund, German TB and Leprosy Relief Association (GLRA) and World Health Organization (WHO) who are main financers of various Programme activities through different grants countrywide.

The following objectives have been developed to address current and future challenges of TB and leprosy control in Tanzania in line with the new Stop TB strategy and WHO leprosy elimination targets.

To increase case detection by 29% by 2020 by strengthening routine case notifications and addressing vulnerable groups of the elderly, prisoners, miners and diabetics.
To increase the percentage of childhood TB cases notified in the country from 10.6% to 15% by 2020 by integrating TB services into RCH, CTC and active case finding.
To increase MDR TB cases detected and enrolled for treatment from 17% of the estimated total cases among those notified to 84% by 2020 by scaling up new diagnostic technologies and decentralizing MDR TB services.
To expand TB/HIV collaborative activities by ensuring that all TB patients are tested for HIV and those who test HIV positive are put on ART promptly and managed accordingly.
To establish the magnitude of TB and increase case notification rate within the mining sector by 2020.
To reduce new Leprosy cases with disability grade 2 from 0.7 to 0.3 per 100,000 population by 2020 by enhancing early case finding and treatment of leprosy patients.
To support implementation of good quality, accessible and equitable TB and leprosy services in the country by 2020 through health and community systems strengthening and good programme management.
To institute an efficient and integrated M&E system that ensures all indicators listed are tracked and reported timely.
To increase collaboration between the program and research/academic institutions on operational research