-
Sunday, March 24, was the World TB (Tuberculosis) Day for 2024.
-
In commemoration of the day, the Federal Government of Nigeria held an event at Aso Villa on Thursday, March 28.
-
The event featured Ministers Pate and Alausa as well as the First Lady of Nigeria.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the Coordinating Minister, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate and the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, have revealed the Federal Government’s strategy to end TB epidemic in Nigeria.
The ministers made the unveiling on Thursday at the commemoration of the World TB Day with the theme ‘Yes we can end TB, no Gree for TB, check Am O!’ held at the State House Conference Hall , Aso Villa, Abuja.
EDITOR’S PICKS
According to Prof. Pate, TB continues to be the second leading cause of death from a single infection agent with an estimate of 97,900 TB deaths in Nigeria in 2022, which is “not acceptable” in the present administration.
“Hence, at the inception of this Government and in line with the Federal Government Renewed Hope Agenda, my Ministry launched Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Programme anchored on a Four-Point agenda aimed at revolutionizing Nigeria’s health sector under the visionary leadership of present President Ahmed Bola Tinubu,” the minister said.
He stated that the agenda will improve governance and population health outcomes, unlock the healthcare value chain and provide health security for all Nigerians.
A statement issued by the health ministry’s Director of Information, Deworitshe Patricia, on Friday, said efforts made at ending TB Epidemic in Nigeria have resulted in the expansion of TB treatment services (DOT centres) to about 22,000 health facilities with high-model GeneXpert equipment, a strong specimen referral network, and a bespoke model for the transport of over 2.4 million samples in 2023 for TB tests, among other innovative activities, interventions and targeted actions, in addressing the scourge.
Pate, however, noted that there are still missing significant number of TB cases undiagnosed in 2023, hence the need to find the missing cases and address the challenges.
“We must address the social determinants of TB such as poverty, inequality and limited access to healthcare,” he said.
The health minister disclosed that the First Lady of Nigeria, Remi Tinubu, has been officially engaged as a Global and National Stop TB champion by the Stop TB Partnership, Geneva, Switzerland and would prioritize the needs of vulnerable populations through economic empowerment, improving access to quality health services, and other empowerment programmes, therefore enhancing efforts in addressing the social determinants of TB.
Pate assured that the health ministry is 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, AIDS and Malaria by delivering preventive, promotive and curative services at primary healthcare facilities and in all our hospitals, while new innovations are adopted in the health sector to meet the goals of saving lives and reducing the physical and financial pains faced by Nigerians.
Expressing his gratitude to the First Lady and other partners for identifying with the Ministry on this course, the minister said that collaborating with development partners has resulted in a record of TB care notification in 2023, with the country notifying over 360,000 TB cases.
“This is the first time ever since the inception of the TB control efforts over 35 years ago that we crossed the 300,000 marks in TB notification about 98 per cent of the patients in 2023 had documented HIV status,” he noted.
Speaking after her investiture as a TB champion, Mrs Tinubu stated that following the adoption of the political declaration at the United Nations high-level meeting held in New York in September 2023, building on this commitment, President Bola Tinubu is committed to the fight against tuberculosis and achieving the goals outlined in the political declaration alongside other national goals towards ensuring a healthier and more prosperous Nigeria.
She added that Nigeria has made remarkable progress in the fight against Tuberculosis and is still not relenting in its efforts to eradicate TB even before the target date of 2030.
The president’s wife also called on governments at all levels, individuals, private and public sectors to intensify their efforts towards ending tuberculosis by ensuring that everyone has access to quality TB diagnosis and treatment services.
Mrs Tinubu further announced the donation of N1 billion from the Renewed Hope Initiative in support of the fight to end TB scourge by 2030.
Earlier, Dr. Alausa explained that “TB cuts across various sectors as the drivers of the diseases include malnutrition, overcrowding, HIV, and diabetes, hence our approach to the control of the disease is multisectoral.”
In his goodwill message, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, Country Representative, World Health Organisation (WHO) Nigeria, stated that it is important to have a dedicated fully funded budget to facilitate implementation of TB activities in the country.
FURTHER READING
“This will reduce the burden of affected communities and ensure provision of required Commodities to manage TB patients and contacts,” Mulombo said.
Click here to watch video of the week:
Discover more from EkoHotBlog
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:
Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.
Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.
Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611