Experts re-strategise against tuberculosis

By Medinat Kanabe

TO arm health officials with information to find missing cases and fight tuberculosis, the Stop TB Partnership has held a one-day workshop.

The group said it  also held  the event “for the dissemination of field guides for finding the missing cases of tuberculosis in Nigeria”.

The workshop was organised ,in collaboration with the Global Fund (GF), Interactive Research and Development (IRD) and the Lagos State Ministry of Health.

The event, which was held in Lagos, focused on the periodic campaigns and adequate funding of tuberculosis control programmes to detect and curb the spread of the disease. The Programme Officer, IRD Global, Ms Laipe Onalaja, said the workshop was a platform for stakeholders in the sector to discuss and improve on strategies for combating tuberculosis.

She said Nigeria does not only have a high burden of tuberculosis, but is a hotspot for the disease, adding that there are huge numbers of people who are tuberculosis positive but are yet to be detected and are not on treatment.

Onalaja said the workshop was meant bring stakeholders together to fashion out ways of identifying what needed to be done, and how to build upon what they are doing to do it better and, importantly, to ensure sound and effective plans for the future.

“The field guides focus on chest x-ray screening, private sector engagement, implementation in communities and implementation in facilities. These give ideas and suggestions to stakeholders on the best approach to doing their tasks. The workshop echoes what is being implemented in Lagos State,” he said.

Janna Health Foundation Executive Director Dr. Stephen John said the problem is that government does not give much attention to tuberculosis.

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He said some of the major challenges confronting tuberculosis patient are lack of adequate enlightenment programmes and access to qualitative healthcare at the primary healthcare centres for better diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.

John noted that many of these primary healthcare centres are under-staffed and lacking modern equipment, with large turnout of patients overstretching equipment at the facilities.

“It is unfortunate that an average person in the community has a serious access problem to qualitative healthcare services for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.”

The Executive Director, Initiative for Prevention and Control of Diseases (IPCD), Dr. Chijioke Osakwe, said only five per cent of health facilities cover tuberculosis. According to him, more male adults are affected with tuberculosis than females.

“Fifty-six per cent males, 44 per cent females and 12 per cent of children are down with tuberculosis. In spite of support funds from the government and international partners, domestic contribution to the fight against tuberculosis is still very low,” he said.