Private Organisations Declare Commitment to Fund TB in Akwa Ibom State
By Ekemini Simon
Key private sector players in Akwa Ibom State have expressed their readiness
to share in the burden of Tuberculosis financing as part of their corporate social responsibilities and brand reinforcement strategies.
The commitment was made last week in Uyo during the second consultative meeting held by Policy Alert on the Fund TB project.
In his remarks, Uduak Ekong, the Manager of Ekong and Sons Services expressed surprise that Akwa Ibom State was one of the State with high TB infection
He noted that if the fight to end TB is allowed only in the hands of the government, TB will continue to proliferate and may become an epidemic. Ekong said to show commitment to the project, his organization will in the next fiscal year include TB financing as part of their corporate social responsibility.
Also speaking, Stephen Peters of Traccafrica limited said his organization in the next quarterly meeting will consider the need to include TB financing in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) having seen the need for it through the presentations made at the consultative meeting. He also committed to providing nutritional support through its philanthropic unit.
Ubong Sampson, Communications and Brand Strategy Consultant of Hensek Integrated Services said although 3200 people are currently receiving treatment on TB, many may be spreading TB unknowingly especially if their immune system is strong enough to suppress it. He argued that the government is not disturbed over the data due to the fact that the media has not strategically reported the issue in a way that captivates government interest.
He prayed that when the private sector comes in to support TB financing, the government should not leave it totally in the hands of the private sector.
Sampson acknowledged the need for public/private sector financing of TB and noted that since his Organisation is already prominent in providing health services in their CSR, it would not be difficult for the organization to consider supporting TB Financing hence he would table the need to the management for consideration.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Executive Director of Policy Alert, Tijah Bolton-Akpan noted that private sector engagement is central, as they can donate equipment, renovate or build TB facilities, provide needed nutritional support to TB patients, and donate medications to health facilities to improve current TB intervention efforts.
The Director noted that raising awareness about TB is essential and called on all stakeholders to actively engage in the effort. He pointed out that successful TB programmes need not be only effective awareness efforts but also strong financial support from the government.
Bolton-Akpan called on the government to demonstrate strong political will by committing to funding TB as that will also encourage the private sector to come in and support.