Bulawayo To Open State-of-the-Art TB Testing Laboratory

The City of Bulawayo is set to open a state-of-the-art tuberculosis testing laboratory at Khami Road Clinic as part of a tri-nation effort to tackle one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

Zimbabwe, South Africa and Pakistan will be rolling out the RADIO-TB trial (Optimal Treatment Duration of Radiographically Apparent, Bacteriologically Unconfirmed Tuberculosis Identified through Active Case Finding) over the next three years.

Council minutes show Bulawayo has been chosen to take part in the programme and will work closely with the Zimbabwean government on its implementation.

Edwin Mzingwane, the city’s director of health services, said TB remains the world’s leading infectious killer after COVID-19, but screening methods haven’t been reliable.

He added that the country has mainly relied on chest X-rays to detect TB, a system that has often proved inefficient. Said Mzingwane:

“Many such individuals had radiographic signs consistent with TB, but either tested negative on sputum tests or could not provide a specimen.

“These cases were termed ‘bacteriologically unconfirmed TB,’ and optimal treatment for them was unclear.

“Clinical practice varied from immediate full-course treatment to deferring treatment until the disease progresses.”

Mzingwane explained that the new RADIO-TB trial is designed to address the limitations of chest X-ray screening.

The trial will test whether shorter treatment courses are just as effective as the standard six-month regimen, and whether starting treatment immediately is better than delaying care.

Bulawayo City Council will be working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI), and University College London, with additional support from international academic and research partners.

The new lab will be based at Khami Road Clinic, which previously housed laboratory services before they moved to Thorngrove Infectious Diseases Hospital.

At a council meeting on 3 September 2025, BRTI was allocated office space at the clinic.

Council also agreed that the RADIO-TB trial will kick off once written approval is received from the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe and the Health Ministry.

More: Southern Eye