Group seeks more funding as Akwa Ibom records 3,200 Tuberculosis cases

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 โ€˜Transformative Budgeting and Financing for Improved Tuberculosis Services in Nigeriaโ€™ย  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: โ€œNigeria, 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.

โ€œYou notice that international development partners handle most of the interventions related to TB intervention programs, awareness campaigns, treatment, prevention, nutritional support, among others.

โ€œThis is not sustainable. International development agencies have a very short attention span. They may decide to focus on other issues, and when that happens, youโ€™re left in the cold.โ€