The arrival of COVID-19 has disrupted health service provision globally. In this note, the authors discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of tuberculosis (TB) services in Zimbabwe. TB is endemic in the country and disruption of services may potentially have serious consequences for patients with existing and undiagnosed TB. In this letter, the authors discuss the need for innovative strategies that ensure TB prevention and treatment services in a manner which reduces COVID-19 risk of patients and healthcare workers.
COVID-19 has impacted health systems globally with varying impacts across regions. In Zimbabwe, a country with perennial problems of shortage of healthcare workers and resources, the pandemic has caused substantial strain on the public health system. The ability to share experiences on what has worked and what has not can be valuable as scientists, policymakers, and others determine steps forward and reflect backward to determine lessons learned in the pandemic response. We describe the setup and function of a COVID-19 rapid response team in the context of a limited resource setting. The response had to be tailored to make maximal use of the resources available and manage the outbreak. In this article, we share notes from the field and discuss the process of setting up a rapid response protocol in a limited resource provincial hospital, the challenges encountered, improvised interventions and recommendations for managing a COVID-19 resurgence and future similar pandemics.
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