Declare Tuberculosis an emergency disease in Ghana

Accra, Aug. 3, GNA - The government has been urged to declare Tuberculosis as an emergency to enhance more political commitment and increase influx of donor funding to make the country achieve the Millennium Development Goals and World Health Organisation's targets. "Member States of the African Union committed themselves in 2005 to the achievement of universal access to treatment and care of TB while up till now the 2001 Abuja pledge by Heads of States to allocate at least 15 per cent of their countries annual budget to the improvement of the health sector has not been met".

Mr. Imoro Abudu, Programme Manager of Afro Global Alliance said this at a TB Voice Network Advocacy and Sensitization workshop for Assembly Members and community leaders in Accra. He noted that, TB is a major public health problem in Ghana but unfortunately little attention had been given to the disease because it is a disease of the poor and generally affected society's most vulnerable, those who live under abject poverty, the marginalised or economically and socially isolated. Mr Abudu said, in recognition of the gravity of the TB situation in the country and the sub-region, the workshop has been organized by TB Voice Network to sensitize the community leaders on the challenges faced in the implementation of its TB control programmes in the various communities.

The Programme Manager said the TB Voice Network was a composite of cured TB patients and public spirited volunteers in various communities to offer living testimonies on TB, improve case detection and also act as treatment supporters for persons diagnosed of the disease. The agenda of the workshop was to tackle the high level of defaulters' cases even after counselling, standardization in architectural plans to include better ventilation, a supranational laboratory for Ghana or the sub continent.

Mr Abudu said the health sector, realising that it cannot solely undertake all the numerous activities had over the years involved the private sector and civil society, among others, to fill the gaps to achieve both national, regional and global targets for TB control. The La Mantse, Nii Tetteh Tsuru, who chaired the programme said that issues concerning the TB disease should be the concern of all so that a concerted effort and programmes are developed to eradicate it in the country. He said all were risk of the disease but there is the need for the victims to be supported in their treatment and not shunned but to encourage them to seek early treatment.

Mr Samuel Kudzuwo, a laboratory technician at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital who explained the duties of the TB Voice Network said TB is a major cause of death if not treated and it is for that reason that the Afro Global Alliance, national Tuberculosis Programme and the chest Clinic have teamed up for a collaborative and initiative to help stem or check the spread of the disease. He said there is the need for preventive care and treatment and for the re-enforcement of community support to implement sustainable TB control programmes by helping to identify and locating new cases and to assist to administer treatment.

Mr Kudzuwo said the Network and their collaborators are enforcing situational analysis reports, counselling and tracing of TB patients and undertaking the supply of advocacy materials to spread the message across the country. "Help to de-stigmatise TB in the communities since it is an air-borne disease and all symptoms such as cough, fever, night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss, tiredness and fatigue should be reported to a health personnel for the needed advice".