COVID-19 complicating tuberculosis eradication efforts ― Buhari

President Buhari has expressed concern that efforts at ending a preventable and curable disease like Tuberculosis (TB) are now complicated because of COVID-19.

He has also called on the international community to act in unison with rededicated efforts, using latest available technology and tools, to address the Tuberculosis epidemic, which he noted, is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide.

He made the declarations on Thursday in his goodwill message to the roundtable conference of the Board of the “Global Stop TB Partnership,” attended by Honorable Ministers of Health, under the 33rd Board Meeting of the Global Stop TB Partnership.

A statement issued by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) in Abuja quoted him as saying: ‘‘As I mentioned during the UN High-Level Meeting in 2018, it is now even more urgent that the global community, especially the African region, act in unison with rededicated efforts, using the latest available technology and tools to address the Tuberculosis epidemic.

‘‘Nigeria still ranks amongst those countries bearing the brunt of an increasing burden of Tuberculosis with a growing number of “missing” Tuberculosis cases.

‘‘The reversal of Nigeria’s difficult health indices, remains a top priority of this administration, including the gap in TB case detection, fueled partly by the dearth of acceptable, accessible, affordable and patient-centred basic health facilities.”

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Apprising the meeting on efforts to reverse Tuberculosis cases in the country, the Nigerian leader said his government had conceptualised and is currently implementing the Primary Health Care (PHC) revitalisation programme, to empower more PHC centres to provide quality basic healthcare in the treatment of TB, HIV, malaria and other health challenges, delivered in a patient-centred way.

President Buhari added that the Nigerian Government was also implementing the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, prescribed by the National Health Act, to bridge the gap in health care financing, with funds released to support the provision of a basic minimum package of health services.

According to him, “We are also improving funding of health services through voluntary contributory schemes that reduce out of pocket spending and the risk of catastrophic costs to patients and their families including those with TB.”

Warning on the consequences of the increasing epidemic, the President said: ‘‘If we fail in the fight to reverse the current trend in Tuberculosis prevalence, TB will continue to fight us and lead to avoidable loss of lives, especially among the economically productive age group, and amongst our most vulnerable groups, especially women.

‘‘It is imperative that we not only commit to ending the TB epidemic as one of the milestones enshrined in the SDGs but also to institute an accountability element to ensure that our commitment translates to the achievement of desired results.’’

President Buhari, who acknowledged that the work of the Stop TB Partnership all over the world has been so remarkable, despite numerous challenges, pledged his commitment to providing needed political leadership and support to end TB in Nigeria and globally.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE