Mr Samuel Atidzah, Executive Director of GOSANET Foundation says despite significant progress made in Tuberculosis (TB) prevention and treatment, many cases still go undetected leading to increased transmission and mortality.
He noted that many underserved areas, like the Adaklu district, still faced challenges of inadequate awareness, stigma, limited access to TB diagnostic, and treatment services.
Mr Atidzah stated this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Ho ahead of World TB Day, which falls on March 24, every year.
The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the devastating health, social and economic impact of TB and encourage global efforts to end the disease considered the world’s deadliest infectious killer disease.
The theme for this year’s celebration is: “Yes! We can end TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver.”
Mr Atidzah called for the urgent need for strong commitment, increased investment, and efficient delivery of TB services to accelerate progress towards eliminating the disease in Ghana and beyond.
He said as a Frontline health-oriented NGO in the Volta region, GOSANET Foundation was dedicated to strengthening TB control efforts.
The Executive Director mentioned the control efforts as conducting community TB screening and awareness campaigns to promote early detection and working with local health facilities to improve access to TB diagnostic and treatment.
The others he noted were engaging community leaders and volunteers to fight stigma and misinformation about TB and collaborating with policy makers to advocate for increased investment in TB control.
He emphasised that TB could be eliminated if all stakeholders including government, civil society and communities committed to action.
“Eliminating TB requires more than words. We must commit to strong policies, invest in sustainable healthcare systems, and deliver high quality TB services to every community especially the most vulnerable,” he stated.
Mr Atidzah called on government and development partners to increase funding for TB programmes, communities to support persons affected by TB and encouraged treatment adherence and health workers and volunteers to intensify TB case detection and management.
“TB is preventable and curable and with the right commitment, investment and strategic action, Ghana can make significant strides towards ending TB,” he stated.
GOSANET Foundation is a health NGO working in some districts of the Volta region.
GNA
