Artisanal miners in Mberengwa have welcomed a mobile health programme that brings tuberculosis (TB) screening and other essential medical services directly to mining sites and social hotspots. Years of inhaling dust in confined shafts, combined with poor access to healthcare, have left artisanal miners at high risk of TB and silicosis. The CUFF TB project, launched last month by the Union Zimbabwe Trust (UZT) with funding from the Stop TB Partnership and government support, seeks to address this urgent health need.
For many miners, this initiative represents their first opportunity for routine health checks while managing demanding work schedules. “This is a welcome development especially for us artisanal miners. I spend most of my time underground and rarely get time to get tested for any disease so today I got tested for HIV and I was negative and also got tested for TB and was negative, but, the issue of alcohol, now that is my biggest challenge I need help scaling down,” a miner said.
“We are really grateful for this initiative especially considering our working environment, we are always surrounded by dust and TB is very rampant here, so we are really grateful. “I am very grateful that I got tested and now I know where my health stands and will follow everything that I have been told by the doctor and will adhere to the medication that I have been given,” a beneficiary said. UZT Technical Director Dr Sithabiso Dube said the project targets two Midlands districts, Mberengwa and Zvishavane, which have high TB burdens and significant artisanal mining activities.
“To date, we have screened over 1 500 people and detected more than 30 TB cases. We are integrating TB screening with checks for silicosis, malnutrition, and alcohol use disorders, because these conditions often go hand in hand,” Dr Dube said. The project employs ultra-portable digital X-rays with computer-aided diagnosis (CAD-AI) for rapid, on-the-spot interpretation, complemented by field-based laboratory tests.
Screenings are conducted during the day at mining sites and at night in social drinking spots, a strategy dubbed “moonlight screening.” Deputy Director in the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s TB Unit, Dr Fungai Kavenga says the approach is a game-changer: “This project brings services closer to people, ensuring faster diagnosis and treatment. Ultra-portable x-rays allow us to reach even the most remote areas, while CAD technology helps us screen more people without delay. This is crucial if we are to find the missing TB cases and end TB by 2030,” Dr Kavenga said.
By shifting from a passive, facility-based approach to an integrated, community-focused model, the CUFF-TB project seeks to reduce delays in care and curb transmission in high-risk groups. Over 270 community and healthcare workers have been trained to support the programme. The project will continue its rolling campaigns across 25 health facility catchment areas in the two districts, with plans to expand nationwide.
