Kenya Prisons Enjoy Better Healthcare Services Through Health Strat’s Project, TACT

Kenyan prisoners are now better placed in receiving improved healthcare systems from Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV, through a project called Transforming TB and HIV Care in Prisons in Kenya (TACT).

Funded by PEPFAR through Center for Disease Control (CDC), the project targets inmates, the prison staff as well as the surrounding community and it seeks to strengthen the capacity of the Kenya Prisons Services (KPS) in delivering a manageable, high-end and comprehensive HIV and TB prevention, care, and treatment program.

Health Strat is one of Kenya’s leading public health organization that designs and delivers an all-around impactful health systems strengthening solutions that can be applied in both low and middle-income countries.

The organization works collaboratively with funders and other implementing partners in both public and private sector to directly implement interventions, disburse funds, monitor their use, account, and report, as per project objectives. With strong systems and controls in place, Health Strat ensures that funds are not only used for their intended purpose at the intended time but are also properly accounted for.

TACT is one of the projects that Health Strat is currently implementing. Now in its fifth year of implementation the project has positively contributed to the healthcare in prisons; for the inmates, prison staff, their families, and the surrounding communities.

Kenya Prisons Services (KPS) has put in place systems for early identification, diagnosis, and management of prisoners with TB, and it is all thanks to the support of PEPFAR/CDC and the implementing partner, Health Strat.

So far, the TACT project has strengthened governance systems at KPS including the development, revision, and use of the Prison Form (PF)-10 form for TB screening on entry into prison. It has also improved access to HIV treatment, fostered universal HIV testing, increased ART & VL suppression and increased TB case detection through screening, diagnosis, and management.

All these have resulted in improved medical services for the Kenyan Prisons at a time when there is still need for the construction of more facilities and equipping them with the latest requirements to control the spread of TB, HIV, and other medical conditions in general.