Inadequate funding, threaten Nigeria’s TB control programme

INSUFFICIENT funding and poor access to proper treament services are hampering Nigeria’s efforts to combat the menace of tuberculosis, a disease that killed an estimated 1.5 million people in 2013 including 360,000 people who were living with HIV.

Although Nigeria has developed a new National Strategic Plan on TB, it documents a relatively weak programme, with poor public awareness and gross insufficient federal, state and local funding. The plan which has charted a bold vision for effectively stopping TB, is, however, bogged down by serious shortage of funds.

Last October, the WHO expressed concern over dire shortage of the tune of an annual shortfall of $2 billion (N320 billion)out of an estimated $8bn (N1.28 trillion) that is required each year, to fully tackle TB in the world.

With an HIV/TB average mortality of 85, 000 deaths in 2013, an average prevalence of 570,000, and TB incidence rate of 81 per 100,000 population, Nigeria is classified as a high TB burden country by the World Health Organisation, WHO. Results of a high quality survey of the TB burden in Nigeria revealed that the country’s TB case detection rate is 16 percent, and not 51 percent as previously reported.

Worse still, many more people are dying of TB than previously anticipated as investigations revealed that Nigeria’s TB prevalence and incidence are actually double and triple, respectively, of previously reported figures.

Data from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, GFATM, which mobilises and invests nearly US$4 billion (N640 billion) a year to support programmes run by local experts in Nigeria and at least 139 other countries, show that for 2014, TB control in Nigeria (as at November 1) is 53 percent unfunded, translating to about US$73.67 million (N1.178 billion). Out of the total National TB programme budget for the year amounting to US$139 million (N22.24 billion), 38 percent, US$52.82 (N8.45 billion), is internationally funded while just 9 percent or US$12.51 million (N2.02 billion) is funded domestically.

source:vanguard