Tag Archives: Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe

Users laud the OneImpact App

Moreni Masanzu, National Coordinator for TB Survivors

BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA

The information gap that has been existing in the fight against TB is set to be bridged as the rollout of the OneImpact Zimbabwe Community-led Monitoring mobile application, has provided much relief, TB survivors have revealed.

Stop TB Partnership is funding the project, while the Ministry of Health and Child Care is providing technical support and the Jointed Hands Welfare Organisation is implementating it.

Users have lauded the application as one of the game changing tools as the country moves towards ending TB by 2030.

The application is currently available on Play Store and App Store but plans are underway to have it on feature phones or none-smartphones.

Moreni Masanzu, National Coordinator for TB Survivors said she was happy with the rollout of the application because it really works for them as it has really reduced the burden for TB survivors because they now get all the information that they want on this platform.

“Like for example, I stay in the rural areas so sometimes you may want to get hold of someone let’s say a doctor to understand something on TB. Since I’m not a health professional, I may want to share certain information with members from my community, so I will make use of this platform to get the required information.

“This platform gives you the opportunity to interact with others so that you get the information that you want and you easily disseminate or share with whoever is within the community who wants it.

“And also it is good because we used to have physical support groups whereby we used to meet and discuss, giving each other psycho-social support, so these days it has really been a challenge to have these physical support groups.

“People will need something that motivates them, so it takes a lot for people to come and discuss TB issues but on OneImpact, if you introduce anyone, they will end up joining any support groups that are on the platform,” said Masanzu.

She added that this is one tool which will strongly help in the goal of ending TB by 2030 if users make proper use of it.

“Also on Community-led Monitoring, it is good because you can do this monitoring on this platform, hearing issues from communities within Zimbabwe, like what are the challenges, what are the successes, so it’s good in that you get it even in the comfort of your house or office.

“So this initiative to us as TB survivors it’s a great achievement and also it helps us because sometimes you can go somewhere and you need to visit a facility but you don’t know where you can get it, but with OneImpact, you can get a facility that is near you.

“You know with sex workers and artisanal miners, they are nomads, they travel from one place to another, so if you introduce this application to them, it gives them an opportunity to get easy access to medication and information that they may require.

“Anyone with a smartphone can use it, so it’s a good initiative, however the challenge I see with OneImpact for now is that it needs someone with a smart phone, not everyone has one especially in the hard to reach areas like farms or other rural areas, so we may need to resource mobilise so that our TB Champions have smartphones and also to provide data for them so that they will be able to access this platform,” added Masanzu.

Stanley Sibanda, TB Advocate

Similar sentiments were also echoed by Stanley Sibanda, a TB Advocate, who said the platform is the game changer in TB response.

“We now have all the current Tuberculosis guidelines and information on our fingertips.

“Some time ago we experienced Tuberculosis drug stock outs in some of the clinics and the OneImpact platform played a big role as we used it to report where there are stock outs so that the responsible authorities can make a follow up.

“Also the platform has a WhatsApp where we communicate with other TB Survivors and Champions from other areas and sharing experiences.

“The platform can even direct you to a nearby health facility which offer TB services through its map.

“Besides Tuberculosis, the OneImpact platform offers information on other diseases like cancer and others.

“The platform will definitely help us as community volunteers as we only use our smartphones to better Tuberculosis services and to get vital information which is needed,” said Sibanda.

He added: “we managed to use the platform to report where there were drug shortages and it helped the authorities to know where there is need.

“Also we are now able to share experiences and ideas through the WhatsApp platform which is available on OneImpact.”

OneImpact Zimbabwe App: the game changer

Peter Dube, Jointed Hands Welfare Organisation Programmes Manager

BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA

The country’s digital health strategy has scored a major milestone with the OneImpact Zimbabwe Community-led Monitoring mobile application which provides users with information on TB, as well as providing a feedback platform on accessing services.

The application is currently available on Play Store and App Store, while plans are being made to have it on feature phones, as the country is pushing its fight to eliminate TB by 2030.

Speaking on the sidelines of a recent OneImpact Zimbabwe CLM capacity building workshop, Peter Dube, Jointed Hands Welfare Organisation, Programmes Manager, said this digital innovation will go a long way in spreading information on TB.

“Apart from spreading information on TB, this will also allay fears of stigma and discrimination among people that are affected by TB.

“It actually empowers those people affected by TB, but not only TB but the other diseases as well, so that they can claim their rights, access health, support services and report and eliminate TB stigma and discrimination.

“So that’s generally what the OneImpact Zimbabwe digital application is all about. So for Zimbabwe, we (JHWO) then came together with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, ICT department and decided to be very specific with our own application and we called it, the OneImpact Zimbabwe Community-led Monitoring application.

“The main advantage of this application is that it can be accessed at any corner of the country, it is not a heavy application on mobile phones and we are currently working on making sure that it can actually then be uploaded on those phones which are not smart phones.

“The idea is that we want everyone to at least have information on TB and everyone to use that information across the country on TB.

“So you will notice that when you get into the application itself, it has a number of modules, the Get to know your rights module, for instance right to health, right to life, and other rights,” said Dube.

He added that the application gives users information about TB itself, in a simplified version.

“There is a module on Get Connected, for instance you want to be connected to other people who have lived experiences on TB, you can get into that module, there is the Get Access module, where you want to know the facilities that are closest to you, where you will be.

“It (application) has a google map, which will show you the facilities which will be closest where you will be, not only in this country but even outside, so it can do that for you and that is another good thing about it.

“And of course, the other module that is critical is the module where you are Reporting an issue. Maybe you are failing to access services because there is something that is happening at that particular facility.

“So you want then to raise this as an alarm to say I’m failing to get my services from this particular facility because either it’s attitude of the healthcare stuff there or it’s because that facility doesn’t have the TB medicines that you require or there are no testing equipment at that facility.

“Because we are saying TB is a curable disease and if you go to the nearest facility, you should get assistance; you should be put on treatment if you have it, so if all these things are not happening at a facility, then you can report that as an issue so that it can be addressed by the authorities.

“Because they (authorities) may not know that you are failing to access services because there is a barrier that’s blocking you.

“So OneImpact application is one way of reporting that issue so that it is addressed,” added Dube.

Dube also revealed that from time to time, they run surveys on the application so as to assess whether or not people are getting quality services across the country.

He also revealed that the application was also capable of being used for other disease as this is one of the ways to improve the digital health strategy.

“The application has room for hanging other diseases as well not just TB. You can have HIV there, you can have malaria there, we do have a survey on multiple myeloma, one kind of cancer that’s also affecting elderly people.

“So we are also thinking of including these on the application because it’s a user friendly application and many people like it because of the way it is set up, so we are currently just giving people information on TB because of the magnitude of TB in the country.”

Ronald Rungoyi, Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe Chairperson

Ronald Rungoyi, Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe Chairperson, echoed similar sentiments saying, “the OneImpact CLM platform is one of the CLM accountability for TB tools that help collect feedback on barriers faced by people affected by TB and engage them to know their rights and to report the barriers that prevent them from being diagnosed, treated, and cared for.

“It is therefore important for communities affected by TB, civil society organizations working with communities and the private sector to familiarize themselves with the OneImpact CLM platform.

“As the Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe (STPZ) carries out its mandate and coordinates partner multisectoral response to ending TB, training of TB partners on OneImpact CLM is vital.

“It is against this background, that the STPZ will support training of TB partners and stakeholders on the OneImpact CLM platform,” said Rungoyi.