* Says Africa, governments contribute only 22%
The World Health Organization, WHO, has said that under-funding is the biggest challenge in the fight against Tuberculosis (TB), in Africa.
In his message to commemorate the World TB Day that is observed on March 24 every year, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, lamented that governments in Africa contribute only 22% of the resources required to deliver adequate TB services.
Moeti, while emphasizing the urgent need for increased funding from domestic sources and international donors said, about 44% of the resources go unfunded, a development he added is impeding efforts to reduce TB burden.
She said, at the current rate of progress, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of ending the TB epidemic by 2030 will not be achievable.
‘’To reach the target, TB incidence would have had to record an annual decline of 4% to 5% in 2020, increasing to 10% per year by 2025, and then to an average 17% annually in the following decade.
‘’In fact, the world saw an increase in the number of global TB deaths for the first time in over a decade in 2021. Contributing factors included reduced access to TB diagnosis and treatment, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘’With 36% of all TB deaths occurring in Africa, failure to invest in the TB response is set to take a formidable toll on African countries. Increased investment can be a game-changer, and alleviate the preventable suffering and death of millions of our people’’.
WHO also call on governments to mobilize additional domestic financial support for TB control, including contributions to the Global Fund, which last month launched its US$18-billion Seventh Replenishment campaign in a bid to counter the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on the fight against TB.
He also urged all stakeholders to advocate for increased investment that will ensure TB services are integrated into the primary health care response just as all hands must work more closely with global communities to leverage on their expert local knowledge to tailor response efforts for maximum impact.
‘’Increased funding from domestic sources and international donors is urgently needed if we are to counteract a reversal of the significant gains made against TB in the past decades.
‘’Today, I call on governments to mobilize additional domestic financial support for TB control, including contributions to the Global Fund, which last month launched its US$18-billion Seventh Replenishment campaign in a bid to counter the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on the fight against TB.
‘’I urge all stakeholders to advocate for increased investment, and to ensure that TB services are integrated into the primary health care response. We must all also work more closely with our communities, leveraging their expert local knowledge to tailor response efforts for maximum impact.
