Chinedum Treasure
Gender Perspective and Social Development Centre (GPSDC) has called on Influential persons within the Government of Anambra State to use their good offices to influence improvement in the budgeting and releases for tuberculosis intervention in Anambra State.
Executive Director, Eucharia Anekwe gave the charge during an advocacy visit to the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor of Anambra State on Political Matters, Dr Alex Obiogbolu, to solicit his support for the on-going fund TB project implemented in the state by the organisation.
The Fund TB project project, funded by USAID, is being implemented in five states of the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria by five NGOs including Policy Alert, Gender Perspective and Social Development Centre, (GPSDC), and three others, in partnership with the Palladium Group under the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE).
“The five NGOs form what we call the Fund TB Cluster. For us in Anambra State, we have so far held a stakeholders’ meeting for personnel from the ministries of health and budget and economic planning.
“The goal is to increase domestic funding for tuberculosis. Anambra is the one of the states in Nigeria with the highest burden of tuberculosis. It is also the only state in Nigeria where we have child TB. In the first quarter of this year, we recorded about 3004 cases of TB. Where are these people? who treats them? Who are their relatives with whom they must have come in contact? These are serious issues.
Despite that, in 2022, out of the N50 million budgeted for TB, only N1 million was released. Other states did not release anything for TB. In fact, Akwa Ibom State has no budget line for TB.
“We are advocating for increase in the amount budgeted for TB and more importantly the actual release of the budgeted amount,” Anekwe said stressing the need for public-private partnership to boost governmental efforts in TB response.
“Government needs to work in partnership with the private sector. We have advocated to the Ministry of Health to increase the allocation for TB in their budget and to the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to help see the budget through all the scrutiny.
“We intend to advocate to His Excellency for more releases. We want to engage the Private Sector on Thursday this week to see how they can come in in terms of rehabilitation of treatment centres, provision of good nutrition for patients and even provision of screening machines like LAM or Gene Xpert. Some local governments such as Awka North, Anambra West, Ayamelum, Ogbaru among others don’t have the machines.
We came to see Dr Obiogbolu because he is one of those influencers that can help to achieve improved funding for TB in the state. This is an urgent need and we must make Mr Governor to understand it. When this issue is being raised in their exco meeting, we need him to lend his strong voice to it.
“He can also use his influence to attract the private sector to assist. The health workers at the primary health centres are the main people trained to treat tuberculosis and we need to provide them with everything needed to do that effectively,” Anekwe concluded.
Responding, Hon. Obi Nwoye, the Special Assistant on Political Mobilization who stood in for Dr Obiogbolu, appreciated the timely intervention of the NGO describing TB as a deadly disease, which deserves attention from all and sundry.
“I When I visited Abakaliki where they have the hospital for it, I saw people passing through harrowing experiences. They could not eat whatever they like because of the ailment.
“I believed that those of us in government are not here for ourselves but to serve the citizens. Like you rightly said, Doctor Obiogbolu is passionate about humanity. I assure you that he will be briefed about this meeting so that he can push this advocacy forward.
“If there is need to arrange a meeting between your group and the wife of the governor, who also likes this type of intervention, I assure that this office will be a link for that and other good things coming to the state.
“What you are doing is purely humanitarian and I believe God will see you through. Where you are working to make life better for people, God will make your life better,” Nwoye prayed.
About Author
