Members of the FundTB cluster in Akwa Ibom state during an advocacy on the Chairman, Committee on Health, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
Policy Alert has taken its campaign seeking government funding for tuberculosis to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
Policy Alert is the anchor of the FundTB cluster in Akwa Ibom State, a consortium of five organisations working across five states to increase domestic funding for TB interventions.
The programme coordinator of the fundTB cluster, Edidiong Dickson, led members of the cluster on an advocacy visit to the chairman, committee on health, House of Assembly, Mr Moses Essien, as part of activities on the project.
Dickson said the FundTB project is designed to influence policy improvements in domestic investment for TB in Akwa Ibom.
He said lack of adequate infrastructure for TB patients, zero budget line items for were challenges limiting access to healthcare for patients, solicited the lawmaker’s intervention to ensure that provision is made in 2025 budget for TB programme.
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On her part, Helen Bassey of Network Advancement Program for Poverty and Disaster Risk Reduction, said with the recent inauguration of the state health insurance scheme in the state it is necessary to extend the coverage to TB patients considering the huge financial demands involved in maintaining TB, stressing it will go a long way to offset the burden placed on patients and families.
Responding, Mr Moses Essien appreciated Policy Alert for the great work the organization is doing within the fiscal space and her recent intervention in the aspect of tuberculosis stating that as chairman, Committee on Health he is fully aware of the issues around TB and other diseases in the state.
He acknowledged that there is need for a dedicated intervention on TB to complement the efforts so far demonstrated by donor agencies in the state.
Essien pledged to take up the issue of ensuring that TB has a budget line item in the 2025 budget of the state with actual releases to the sector and solicited more private sector involvement in the health sector of the state to support government efforts.
