A non-governmental organisation, Policy Alert, has appealed for urgent domestic funding to combat the rising cases of Tuberculosis (TB) in Akwa Ibom state.
The group said the state had recorded a staggering 3,200 cases of TB in the first quarter of 2024, with many more expected to go undiagnosed.
Speaking during a one-day workshop on โTransformative Budgeting and Financing for Improved Tuberculosis Services in Nigeriaโย Tuesday in Uyo, the executive director of Policy Alert, Mr. Tijah Akpan, lamented that both state and federal governments contribute a paltry 6.1 percent funding for TB treatment.
He noted that international donors contribute 24 percent, and when added to domestic funding, it leaves a 70 percent gap.ย
He expressed pessimism that if donors withdraw their funding, TB cases in the country would surge beyond control.
Akpan said: โNigeria, ranked 4th in the world on the Tuberculosis index, has a huge burden of TB cases, and most TB interventions have been left to development partners.
โYou notice that international development partners handle most of the interventions related to TB intervention programs, awareness campaigns, treatment, prevention, nutritional support, among others.
โThis is not sustainable. International development agencies have a very short attention span. They may decide to focus on other issues, and when that happens, youโre left in the cold.โ