The National Coordinator of the National Tuberculosis, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy Control Programme, NTBLCP, Dr. Chukwuma Anyaike says Federal Government is robustly engaging the private sector towards galvanizing every stakeholder’s support in the fight to eradicate TB from Nigeria.
Dr. Anyaike made this known while fielding questions from journalists at the sidelines of the TB Awareness Walk in Abuja, which is part of activities designed to mark the 2022 World Tuberculosis Day.
He explained that government is not just targeting the private sector for financial support but ensuring that a strong conviction is established among private sector stakeholders, which will eventually yield support from a standpoint of conviction.
“All of us are government. Everyone is government. So the strategy we’ve put in place is to bring in the private sector, to bring in philanthropies, to bring in every person on board, the civil society, the media. Every person has a stake in this. Bring in clinicians.
“There are strategies because we already have our National Strategic Plan of 2021-2025, everything is stated there. But we are working based on our strategic plan of opening up the private sector because 60 percent of Nigerians go to the private health facility. So we cannot think of kicking out tuberculosis in the country without involving the private sector.”
And while reiterating Nigeria’s unenviable position in the world regarding statistics from TB, Dr. Anyaike insisted that the burden of TB in Africa would be half solved, if Nigeria is able to eradicate the disease from within her borders.
The Road Walk Show began from the premises of the Federal Ministry of Health at the Federal Secretariat Complex, through several other parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
The theme for this year’s celebration, “Invest to End TB – Save Lives” and the slogan for Nigeria “Give More, Do More, End TB Now”.
