Abstract:
This study serves as baseline investigation into tuberculosis (TB) patient population characteristics and the compliance of
clinics in rural settings to the national TB guidelines in terms of diagnosing the disease. A total of 62 TB positive patients’ files
were reviewed. Patients were diagnosed using: smear microscopy (41.9%); chest radiography (37.1%); Xpert MTB/RIF (9.7%);
symptoms (3.2%); abdomen sonar (1.6%); and, no record (6.5%). Lack of complete compliance was identified, including large
dependencies on chest X-ray as the first line of diagnosis and inadequate diagnosis of extra-pulmonary TB. These findings could
assist identifying health system gaps for provincial and national control programs.
