*As Borno Govt partners to tackle TB cases
By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
The Borno State Commissioner of Health and Human Resources, Professor Baba Malam Gana has said that the level of tuberculosis cases in the state informed the intervention of the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve on the health emergency in the state.
Declaring the training workshop open, the Health Commissioner said that there was a prayer in January 2024 by the state government for WHO interventions in the area of tuberculosis disease , equipments, facilities and capacity building among others towards improving the health status of its citizens.
Sequel to the appeal, WHO swung into action in February 2024 with training programme of 60 health workers handling Tuberculosis across the 27 LGAs of the state and some partners as well as state officials handling Tuberculosis cases in health facilities to improve on the 438 health facilities available across the state offering TB services .
Represented by the State Director of Public Health, Borno State Ministry of Health & Human Resources, Dr. Goni Abba, Professor Gana said presently, the state has 259 functional DOTS sites and TB cases notification is currently at 37%.
The commissioner appreciated the numerous support and interventions in health matters from WHO in the state while assuring the health organization continuous collaboration and conducive working environment while reiterating that all drugs in the treatment of TB are free.
He further charged the LGCs health supervisors handling TB to pay more attention and make proper use of the knowledge that they will benefit from the 10 days training.
In his remarks, the WHO Coordinator, Borno State, Dr. Ibrahim Salisu said as part of its commitment and willingness to support the state government tackle issues and problems of tuberculosis in the state, WHO immediately started training program to improve first the capacity of TB health workers and supervisors across the 27 LGAs of the state as well as WHO partners and state government officials handling TB and related diseases.
According to him, the training is going to be in batches and for a period 10 days per each of groups upto the month of March 2024 in respond to the Yola 2023 Annual meeting prayers and January 2024 request while appreciating Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State for his support and for providing enabling environment for partners to conduct their activities.
He also commended the state government for the collaboration with WHO in organizing this important training while recalling that in January 2024, during the Northeast Honorable Commissioners for Health Forum meeting, Governor Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, requested for WHO support to Borno state to improve TB Case Detection and Treatment.
“According to data from the TB and Leprosy Control (TBL) Programme, Tuberculosis case detection rate of 37% and treatment success rate of 93% in 2023. Now, in February 2024, WHO has swung into action with a comprehensive package of interventions to improve the TB situation in the state.
“We are commencing with this training of the TBL Programme Officers from all the 27 LGAs. The training is going to be in multiple phases, and all the relevant TBL programme Officers from the LGAs and the state would be trained.
” After the training, WHO would provide technical support, drugs and commodities and ensure adequate case detection, treatment and data management. Tuberculosis is also a disease of Global concern and the humanitarian crisis in the Northeast has further heightened the situation in Borno State.
“A concerted effort is therefore crucial in expanding case finding and treatment. Hence the need for this very important training. I therefore urge all the participants to give this training the seriousness it deserves.
“At the end of this training, it is expected that Borno State TB detection and treatment rate would have improved significantly with consequent reduction in the number of deaths due to Tuberculosis.
“I also wish to appreciate our facilitators and other partners for working round the clock to ensure that this training holds within the shortest possible time. The training will go a long way in addressing challenges within the TB Program management and will also improve the health indices of the State.
“The partners have contributed immensely to the rehabilitation of existing health facilities, provision of essential drugs and commodities, capacity building, nutrition, family planning, risk communication, WASH, outbreak response etc.
“The partners will continue to provide all the necessary supports to improve the health indices of the State. Despite the numerous challenges, the state has done well in areas of outbreak response, PHC revitalization, and implementation of Primary Health Care under One Roof (PHCUOR) policy,” he said.
The WHO Coordinator also commended Governor Zulum and the Honourable Commissioner for Health for allocating nearly 15% of the total state budget to the Health Sector while assuring that “,with this allocation, we believe that there would be adequate resources to support all health programmes, include the TBL programme in the state.”
The WHO Acting Emergency Manager, Northeast Humanitarian Health Emergency Response, Dr Kumshida Yakubu Balami added that, WHO is supporting the Borno State Ministry of Health in providing a 10-days effective TB training to 60 community health workers aimed at improving their knowledge and understanding of tuberculosis (TB) early detection and reporting within the national integrated disease surveillance and response system, and then to WHO.
She added that the training will also enhance their capacity to monitor and support the care and treatment of patients with TB which will in the long-run improve TB indices in Borno State.
