“Nigeria Doesn’t Need Technical Assistance To Fight TB- Dittu
Stop TB Global has appointed the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu as Global TB Champion, and the 36 States’ First Ladies as national tuberculosis Champions to influence the fight to end the disease in Nigeria.
At the investiture ceremony in Abuja, the Executive Director of the Global Stop TB Partnership, Geneva, Dr Lucica Ditiu, stressed the need for Nigeria to intensify efforts at combating TB.
Dr. Ditiu who noted that Nigeria has leaders who care about the health of their people, called for collective efforts to end TB.
“Nigeria doesn’t need technical assistance to fight TB. Nigeria knows how to diagnose, detect, and treat its people.”
“There are innovative ways to source the needed funds for TB response, especially from the private sector,” she added.
While accepting the award, Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu who donated N1 billion for quality TB diagnosis and treatment services in Nigeria said she accepts the award as a call for action in ending TB in the country by 2030.
The First Lady called on the government, legislators, private partners, development partners, civil society organizations, health care professionals, academia, market men and women, communities, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and all Nigerians to intensify their efforts towards ending TB.
”Nigeria To Conduct National Drug-Resistant Survey This Year”
Addressing the gathering the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate expressed worry that TB continues to be the second leading cause of death from a single infectious agent and has caused almost twice as many deaths as HIV/AIDS.
According to him,” An estimated 97,900 TB deaths occurred in Nigeria in 2022, equating to one person dying from TB every 5 minutes even when the disease is curable and preventable.”
”These indices and other sub-optimally performing health indicators are unacceptable, hence, at the inception of this Government and in line with the Federal Government’s renewed hope agenda.”
”My Ministry launched Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Program, anchored on a four-point agenda aimed at revolutionizing Nigeria’s health sector under the visionary leadership of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu,” Professor Pate said.
He said the government was currently equipping the PHC facilities with essential facilities and personnel to deliver comprehensive services, particularly in rural and underserved areas, to improve health outcomes and reduce the burden of preventable diseases such as TB.
”Our efforts at ending the TB epidemic in Nigeria resulted in the expansion of TB treatment services (DOTs centers) to about 22,000 health facilities and GeneXpert equipment, a rapid molecular test for TB to 512 as of the end of 2023.”
Prof. Pate said the government was scaling up the use of digital X-rays with artificial intelligence for TB screening among key and vulnerable populations (including children).
”As we currently boast of 51 mobile digital X-ray platforms nationwide within the program, and an additional 350 digital X-ray machines will be available before the end of June 2024.”
He noted that the government had also instituted a strong specimen referral network utilizing a hub-and-spoke model that was responsible for the transport of over 2.4 million samples in 2023 for TB tests.
The Minister said the country, will be conducting a National Drug-Resistant Survey through the support of USAID and partners to determine the actual burden of drug-resistant TB this year.
Prof. Pate said the government was putting in place an efficient, resilient, equitable, affordable, and quality health system to improve health outcomes for all non-communicable and communicable diseases, including TB, HIV, and Malaria.
”By delivering preventive, promotive, and curative services at primary healthcare facilities and in all our hospitals, we have commenced the training of our health workforce in phases.”
”We have started the process to implement a unified electronic health information system to ensure we have reliable data for decision-making and are finalizing processes to put in place an innovative system that will ensure sustainable domestic financing and strengthen health sector governance,” he added.
On her part, the acting board chair, Stop TB Partnership, Nigeria, Dr Queen Ogbuji-Ladipo observed that Tuberculosis continues to be a major public health concern, claiming far too many lives each year, particularly in Nigeria.
”Despite advancements in medicine and healthcare, TB remains a formidable adversary, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and underserved communities.”
”However, amidst these challenges, there lies hope in the tireless dedication of healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and advocates who work tirelessly to combat TB and improve the lives of those affected.”
According to her, ”In Nigeria, the TB burden is substantial, ranking 1st in Africa and 6th globally. Thousands of new TB cases are reported annually, yet many remain undiagnosed and untreated.”
”The emergence of drug-resistant TB adds further complexity to our efforts, the pathetic situation suggests urgent action is needed at all levels to address gaps in TB detection, treatment, and prevention.”
The Acting Chair therefore urged all the awardees to leverage their influence and platforms to raise awareness, mobilize resources, advocate for policy changes, and drive action to strengthen TB response efforts at national and sub-national levels.
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