A report by the Communities and Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) Delegations of the Global Stop TB Partnership Geneva have stated that accountability for the response to tuberculosis remains weak, with multi-sectoral and high-level leadership often inadequate.
They called on UN member states to leverage COVID-19 as a strategic opportunity to end the scourge of Tuberculosis (TB).
This call was made during a virtual launch of a Report: `A Deadly Divide: TB Commitments vs. TB Realities – A Communities Report on Progress Towards the UN Political Declaration on the Fight Against TB and a Call to Action to Close the Gaps in TB Targets.’
According to Olive Mumba, executive director of Eastern Africa National Networks of AIDS and Health Service Organisations (EANNASO), in her presentation said that inspite of COVID-19, commitments to end TB should be ongoing by developing, funding and implementing TB/COVID Catch-Up Plans to enable National TB Programmes to get back on track and accelerate progress toward the Political Declaration’s commitments.
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Mumba, said that COVID-19 was not an excuse to fail to meet tuberculosis targets, but an opportunity to ‘build back better’.
She explained that the report showed there had been important advances by governments/member states in all Areas of Action in 2018-2020.
However, progress was too little and too slow, with a ‘deadly divide’ between commitments and results, hitting hardest at key and vulnerable communities.
“COVID-19 has disrupted everything. It is reversing the gains made in the response to tuberculosis, but is also an opportunity to ‘build back better’.
“Accountability for the response to tuberculosis remains weak, with multi-sectoral and high-level leadership often inadequate.
“Funding for tuberculosis is inadequate. Donors and multilaterals need to increase investments in the response, in affected communities/civil society, in research and development, and in market expansion for new tools.
“The role, engagement and funding of tuberculosis affected communities and civil society is essential to the scale and quality of policies and programmes needed – reinforcement of people-centred tuberculosis response
“The introduction and scale-up of Community, Rights and Gender (CRG) initiatives are shaping national tuberculosis strategies and the trajectory of the epidemic for the better,’’ she cited the report.
Mumba made a call to action for UN member countries to invest the funds necessary to end tuberculosis.
“This is by collaborating to achieve 100 per cent of the Political Declaration’s targets for financial investment in the response to tuberculosis, and the scaling-up of domestic and international funding for community-based and led tuberculosis interventions.
“All people should be reached through TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.
“There should be commitment to accountability, multisectorality and leadership on tuberculosis through urgent implementation of an independent National Multisectoral Accountability Framework for tuberculosis in every country, as committed to by 2019.
“We call to action for the acceleration of the development of, and access to, essential new tools to end TB.
“Make the TB response rights-based, equitable and stigma-free, with communities at the centre,’’ she said.
Also speaking Richard Mofe-Damijo,Veteran Nigerian Actor, popularly called RMD, represents Nigeria in the global scene as a StopTB Campaign Advocate for societal change.
Unveiling the report, RMD commended the efforts put into the document.
According to him, focus on COVID-19 as an excuse not to achieve some of the call to actions to stop TB is not excusable.
“COVID-19 should be an opportunity to build back models, even to build higher than we were before COVID-19.
“Often, the attention of government and our leaders is usually not strong when there is no clear and present danger to everybody.
“The numbers don’t frighten them anymore as a novel virus is on ground.
“I hope countries begin to implement the call to actions; there is need to begin to look at key populations and that all of them are reached in an equitable manner with quality services.
“We should also capitalise on the universal health coverage campaign and continue with the social mobilisation.
“This is one step of building momentum, I just want to congratulate everyone for the successful development and launching of this wonderful report,’’ RMD said.
