RESTAKE: Health system and community RESilience during Covid-19 through the example of tuberculosis: A comparative mixed methods case study in TAnzania and KEnya

Effective responses to Covid-19 and tuberculosis (TB) are strong tests of health system performance and community resilience. Both diseases require strong health systems and similar measures for containment. Covid-19 has caused illness, but also extreme economic effects in low- and middle-income countries.

It is estimated that the pandemic set back poverty reduction efforts by at least a decade.

RESTAKE aims to examine the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on health system functioning and community resilience in two countries, Kenya and Tanzania particularly with TB as an indicator condition.

The two countries have similar health systems and sociocultural setting, but implemented contrasting pandemic containment efforts - one lenient, the other conservative.

Using a comparative mixed methods case study with policy analysis, register analysis, facility surveys and qualitative data, the three year research project studies the country policies to curb Covid-19 and their effects on TB services and TB patients´ health and economic situation. Finally, we compare these case studies across the two countries.

Through equal collaborations with partners in Kenya and Tanzania RESTAKE contributes towards understanding pandemic policies and their impacts, eventually contributing to preparedness policies that protect equity and services for key infectious diseases such as TB.