Stop TB Partnership

TB Service Provision and Referral Put Life Back on Track

By Henry Chikakuda - Malosa Community Organization (Malawi)

Friday Manyamba is a 39-year-old man from Ntola Village in Group Village Headman Machinjiri, Traditional Authority Malemia in Zambia. The village is home to about 114 people with the majority of them being poor women whose husbands left for South Africa in search of greener pastures. Most of the people in the area speak the Yao language and practice Islam. Their main health facility is St Luke’s Mission Hospital administered/ran by the Upper Shire Diocese of the Anglican Church. The hospital is located at the base of Malosa Mountain Forest Reserve, about three-kilometers away from Friday's house.

Friday’s main source of income was from his work as an assistant bricklayer. He worked in different construction companies throughout several districts in Malawi. Friday married his cousin, Esnart Chilupya, and they were blessed with three children. After some time, however, Friday ran away from the responsibility of taking care of his family and went to live in the capital, Lilongwe. Friday continued to work with a construction company and was able to afford a few luxurious such as a cell phone and money. This newfound wealth enabled him to spend most of his leisure time in bars to drink, smoke and visit sex workers.

Thereafter, Friday experienced some health problems, forcing the construction company to eventually dismiss him. He was then forced to go back home for parental care since none of his friends in Lilongwe could afford the time to look after him. He had a persistent cough that lasted more than two months, accompanied by fever, chest pains, difficulties when breathing, loss of weight, and haemptysis problems one after the other over several months. Friday's illness was very costly and he sold everything he had in search of assistance from the traditional healers who charge exorbitant fees for their services. The idea came about after he visited many hospitals which resulted in doctors only prescribing antibiotics that, unfortunately, are just a mere painkiller.

Surprisingly during this time, his former wife remarried to a fisherman who relocated her and the three children to Lake Chilwa. Unfortunately, the fisherman also died of TB and this forced the wife to return to her original home, now with four children, to live in extreme poverty.

Villagers informed Friday’s mother about the medical help available at the offices of Malosa Community-based Organisation (MACOBO) as a nearby resident also received treatment from the facility. Thereafter, the villagers carried Friday to MACOBO's main offices in the area. He lost his old and upon trying to find out from him on when he started getting sick, he had lost his old health passport book. This put MACOBO in a very tight situation because it was very difficult to help. After Friday explained his symptoms, he was told to submit sputum at the MACOBO sputum collection center and a volunteer was assigned to help in the examination process, which was done for free.

Results showed there were traces of tuberculosis bacteria in his sputum and after the positive TB diagnosis, he was admitted to the hospital for 14 days. After two weeks, he was released and instructed to continue treatment at home. MACOBO hospital covered Friday's medical expenses, totaling MK 2,413 (14.11 US Dollars). While at home, the patient continued taking the drugs, but his condition persisted. A qualified MACOBO volunteer referred Friday to St Luke’s Hospital, where, upon his arrival and undergoing testing, he was found HIV positive. He was not surprised with the results and informed the health personnel how he acquired the virus. Eventually Friday started taking ARVs after completing TB treatment and interestingly, he reunited with his former wife who is battling skin cancer and HIV.

The family is living happily and the couple is continuing to take ARVs. They also welcomed a new addition to the family over a year ago with the birth of their fourth child. Friday is now selling roasted maize at Namwera Turn-off Trading Center to earn some income for his living and makes about MK 1500 per day (8.77 US Dollars)