The custom-built, mobile x-ray screening van is now a major new weapon in the fight against the spread of Tuberculosis (TB) and Multi Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB) in Papua New Guinea (Tom Perry / World Bank)
The innovative mobile screening van
To combat this challenge, ¡®the TB van¡¯ ¨C a custom-built, all-terrain, mobile X-ray screening van, complete with a giant photograph of PNG¡¯s most famous rugby player, Ase Boas, and the slogan ¡®let¡¯s kick TB out of PNG¡¯ ¨C hit the road with the mission to test the entire population of Daru for TB.
¡°In Daru the hospital is quite far and most of the people are not going to the hospital until they are really sick,¡± said Natalie Fimbuvu, the X-ray technician on board the van. ¡°We help them by providing services at their doorstep.¡±
Natalie is a vital part of the 10-person health team that has so far screened around 6500 people across Daru in a little under a year. Natalie calmly and expertly guides each and every person through the two-minute X-ray process inside the van.
¡°It¡¯s the first time many of these people have had an X-ray, so many are nervous,¡± she says. ¡°I¡¯m looking for abnormalities in the chest region, especially the lungs. For a normal X-ray it¡¯s usually black ¨C both lungs ¨C but if there are white patches in between the lungs, then there¡¯s an abnormality there.¡±
After a screening, Natalie provides a score out of 100 for each person that rates the likelihood of infection. Low-score patients are free to go without further action, but those with a higher score are required to produce a saliva sample for further analysis. If a TB infection is identified, patients immediately begin an intensive treatment program at the hospital, followed by the dedicated TB treatment sites close to their homes.
¡°We live a bit of a distance away from the clinic,¡± says Simona Vanaria, a Bamu community resident. ¡°Sometimes when we are sick, we are scared to come to the hospital. [But] I¡¯m happy that I came with all my family to check and the results are negative.¡±
Working together to kick TB out of PNG
Sandra Wanakrah, WHO¡¯s Coordinator for TB Screening in Daru, is working alongside Natalie in the fight against TB. She says there is a strong camaraderie among the team: that this is important, life-saving work.
¡°We know it¡¯s a big fight but if we can all stand together and do as much as possible, to the best of our potential, I¡¯m sure we can do it. We can kick TB out of PNG,¡± says Sandra.
The is funded by the World Bank, through the ), the World Bank¡¯s fund for the world¡¯s most in-need countries, alongside the Australian Government and PNG¡¯s Department of Health, together with partners including the Burnet Institute, WHO and World Vision.
