Fund TB Cluster Extracts commitments from A’Ibom Government for inclusion of TB Projects in 2025 budget
Ekemini Simon
The Fund TB Cluster a group of organisations working on improved funding for projects and programmes that will address the menace of Tuberculosis (TB) in the five States of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, Imo and Anambra State has succeeded in getting the commitment of the government of Akwa Ibom State to include a budget line item for TB in the 2025 fiscal year.
Akwa Ibom State in the 2024 Approved Budget does not have a budget line item for TB. In 2022 and 2023, only a project tagged the completion of TB Infectious Disease Hospital in Ikot Ekpene with N21 million and N10 million respectively were the approved budget for the project yet without releases made.
At a Stakeholders’ round table discussion held on Wednesday in Uyo, the anchor organisation of Fund TB Cluster, Policy Alert extracted commitments from relevant stakeholders including the State House of Assembly and other government officials from relevant Ministries Departments and Agencies that programmes and projects that will that will address Tuberculosis control and treatment will be captured as a line item in the 2025 budget which is currently undergoing bilateral engagements.
The Executive Director of Policy Alert, Tjah Bolton-Akpan in his address called for the provision of Tuberculosis as a stand-alone item in the budget of Akwa Ibom going forward stressing that among the five States which the project implementation was ongoing, it is only Akwa Ibom State that is without a budget item for TB.
Bolton-Akpan who was represented by Mr Faith Paulinus said despite the risk and wide spread of TB in the State; with 6,228 persons diagnosed of TB in the second quarter of 2024, the control of TB was not captured in the 2024 budget and hoped it would be done in the 2025 hence the invitation of all the relevant stakeholders for the meeting.
Also, the Programme Officer of Policy Alert, Edidiong Dickson who called for funding of TB care in Akwa Ibom especially in the building of facilities noted the difficulty and near impossibility of housing patients of different sexes that are down with Drug Resistant TB.
“The situation in Akwa Ibom is that you cannot house the same sex in one place, if they are admitting men who have drug resistant TB this month, next month will be for women that have it. If there is budget for TB, the state government could have built a facility large enough to contain both men and women and they will have large space for recreational activities.” He said.
Chairman, House Committee on Health at the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon Moses Essien in his remarks expressed readiness to partner with any organisation to fight against the spread of TB saying that legislations are needed to strengthen the fight against the infectious disease.
Admitting the need for government to come in to support TB control through funding, the Lawmaker wondered the fate of TB community if the international donor partners withdraw their supports abruptly saying that government would work towards sustaining the support.
On his part, the Director General, Akwa Ibom State Fiscal Responsibility Board, Victor Edet who represented the Commissioner for Finance, Linus Nkan said for TB to be funded and have a place in the budget, the Ministry,Department or Agency responsible must first of all come up with budget line that would be mainstreamed.
He said government does not spend money not budgeted for and encouraged Policy Alert to work with the Ministry responsible at that level to input their demands.
“People in the health sector should first come up with it, so that we, in the budget will act. We don’t spend money not budgeted for.” He said.
Dr Arthur Igbemi speaking, said the onus lies on MDAs to add TB into the budget and it would be taken up from there saying, “it is criminal for an item to be included in the budget at a higher office in government.”
He commended Policy Alert for the dialogue approach it deployed in pressing their demands saying that such method was in line with the ARISE agenda of governor Umo Eno.
Fund TB Cluster comprises of Policy Alert, Gender Perspective and Social Development Center (GPSDC), Center for Healthworks, Development and Research Initiative (CHEDRES), Concern for Women and Youth Empowerment (COWOYEM), and Initiative for the Prevention and Control of Diseases (IPCD),and is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Palladium Group.
The project employs research, campaigning, capacity building, and policy influencing.