Namusisi Lydia is a dedicated and experienced health professional specializing in tuberculosis (TB) care and community health services in Uganda. With over seven years of experience, she has worked in various roles, including as a Community Linkage Facilitator, Community Linkage Mentor, and Community Liaison Officer across Kampala, Wakiso, and Mukono districts. In these positions, Lydia has supported TB screening, patient follow-up, contact tracing, and community outreach, ensuring strong linkages between communities and health facilities.
She has actively participated in national and international TB advocacy, including attending the 2023 International Union World Conference on Lung Health in Paris, France. Additionally, Lydia has contributed to TB research, submitting abstracts on integrated TB/HIV care and community-led TB case finding in Uganda.
Lydia holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management from Uganda Management Institute and a Bachelor's degree in Community-Based Rehabilitation from Kyambogo University. She is fluent in both English and Luganda, and remains deeply committed to improving TB care and health systems in Uganda through her leadership and community-focused approach.
Background and challenges to implementation:
Integrated community-based services have the ability to improve access to primary health services while reducing costs associated with the provision of these services. We set out to integrate community provision of TB and HIV testing services in order to increase the reach and yield of these two interventions. Intervention or response: In October 2022, the project implemented an integrated community-based approach to provide TB/HIV services at six health facilities in Wakiso district. This was led by the community health workers who worked with clinicians and laboratorians. TB/HIV Hotspot communities were mapped out and the TB/HIV key population living in these communities identified through brainstorming in-line with National guidelines. The teams did TB education and symptom screening. Sputum samples were collected for those presumed to have TB and taken to the laboratory for GeneXpert testing. HIV testing services were provided to those eligible. GeneXpert results were followed up and returned to patients. Those diagnosed with TB and HIV were started on treatment. Results/Impact: A total of 557 individuals were reached. Of these, 115 (20.7%) had presumptive TB and 17 (3.1%) were diagnosed with TB and started on treatment. 16 TB patients had drug susceptible TB and 1 had Multi-drug Resistant TB. The HIV yield was 8/73 (11%), all were linked to treatment services. Among the TB cases diagnosed, 11/17(64.7%) were male. The highest TB yield was among fisherfolk at 5/81(6.2%). Three patients were diagnosed with both TB and HIV. Forty-two presumed TB patients who had a known HIV status or who declined to be tested did not receive HIV testing services