Engaging health and non-health

sectors to increase access to

child-friendly TB medicines in
Kenya
Dr Enos Masini
WHO
Ending TB (AIDS) as a public health threat cannot be accomplished by
a single actor alone. It requires all sectors working together to provide
financing, demonstrate political will, carry out interventions within and
outside of the health sector
PEPFAR facts-sheet 2017
Challenges in childhood TB
care
Current Vs Improved Paed TB Formulations
Child friendly medicines as an opportunity
to improve child TB prevention and care
Health facility Community
Integrate TB care in to routine child services (MCH, Strengthen community awareness on child TB
Paed in-patient and outpatient services, nutrition
Strengthen contact tracing
clinics)
For TB diagnosis
Develop capacity of HCWs in child TB care To identify exposed children <5years of age for IPT
Enhance the availability of equipment and
Active case finding through:
commodities for child TB care at all levels of health
Conduct of school health TB education
facilities
Screening for TB in schools
Establish and support Centers of Excellence to offer
mentorship for child TB care to surrounding
facilities
 Overview
Kenya rolled out the WHO approved child-
friendly TB medicines in October 2016
First country in the world to rollout the
child-friendly TB medicines on a national
scale
Rollout planning process commenced in
December 2015
The NTP formed and convened a National
Coordination Team to spearhead various CC HHI L D -
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Coordination and Leadership Role
of the NTP
National Coordination Team (multi-partner, multi-disciplinary) led by the NTP. Included:
Partners (WHO,USAID, CDC, UNICEF)
NGOs and Civil Society (CHS, MSH, STOP TB Partnership Kenya, TB Advocacy
Consortium, KANCO)
Public sector-University of Nairobi, Ministry of Education, Maternal Child Health
Department
Representatives of the private sector (The Kenya Association for the Prevention of
Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases)
Expertise in TB, Child Health, Communications and Advocacy, Drug Management,
Procurement and Supply Chain, finance
Revision of childhood TB guidelines to incorporate child friendly formulations
Process of bringing the commodities in country

Manufacturer applied to the regulatory authority- Kenya Poisons and

Pharmacy Board -in Dec 2015
Procurement supported by Global Fund
Phase-out phase in plan developed in Dec 2015
Child friendly medicines roll out-1st October 2016
National and County
Sensitisation Forums

National Sensitisation Meeting on the child- County Health Teams Sensitisation Meeting on
friendly TB medicines the child-friendly TB medicines

Sensitisation meetings at national and county level to inform and engage

stakeholders on the rollout and seek opportunities for collaboration and value
addition
County health managers, paediatricians, maternal child health, frontline health
Partnerships for Advocacy and
Communication

Objectives:
Raise public awareness on childhood TB (risk factors, signs and symptoms)
Increase detection of TB in children (where and when to seek care)
Create demand for the child-friendly TB medicines

Technical and financial support for:

Engagement of civil society, NGOs and development partners working in TB control,
child health
Development of information, education and communication materials targeting
health care workers, care givers, and the public
Advocacy and Communication
Products

Care Givers Health Care Workers

 Role of the Media
In the build up to the national rollout, local and
international media were engaged to document
challenges of dispensing and using the then TB
medicine to treat children
Received wide coverage and demonstrated to the
public why the child-friendly formulations were
urgently needed to ensure that no child dies of TB
After the rollout, local and international media
were again engaged to document the rollout
process and uptake
Radio spots were aired across various local radio
stations on TB signs and symptoms in children and
the availability of the child-friendly TB medicines
Goodwill Ambassador
Local comedian and renowned media personality Churchill engaged as
a Goodwill Ambassador for Childhood TB

Access to over 2.5 Million of his social media followers with childhood
TB messages
 Children as Agents of Change
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Children as Change Agents
Inter-Ministerial Engagement
Engaged the Ministry of Education at policy level for:
TB Infection Prevention and Control practices and measures across
learning institutions
TB screening in institutions where an index case is identified as well as
annual TB screening at all learning institutions
Updating of the school curriculum to include updated information on TB

School children from

Kiambu County
during the school
essay and art
competition award
ceremony
Availability of child friendly
medicines in private sector
Collaboration with The Kenya Association for the Prevention of
Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases( KAPTLD) ensured availability in the
formal private sector
Faith based providers directly supplied by the NTP
Uptake of Child-Friendly TB
Medicines
Since roll-out Kenya has placed over 6000 children on child friendly TB
medicines
 Special thanks to the National TB Program of Kenya
Drs Maureen Kamene, Immaculate Kathure and Teresia Njoroge