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From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Network (ATM) has warned that skills shortages and uneven distribution of TB services are leading to missed and mismanaged cases in Cross River.
During an advocacy visit to the state TB, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme, Eugene Ajegi and team lead, Solomon Agbor, said staffing and infrastructure gaps were leaving some health facilities unable to function optimally.
“We have instances where staff sent to facilities discovered they had nothing to do, so they had to be sent back,” Agbor said.
Programme Officer, Victor Ogwuche, cited a case where a TB patient treated in Ogoja moved to Ikom and continued treatment without improvement due to a gap in local capacity.
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A member of the network, Sunday Eminue, called for even distribution of TB facilities across identified local government areas to help bridge gaps in TB care at the primary healthcare level.
Ajegi said the problem goes beyond equipment. He noted that without adequate training and evenly spread services, patients face delays in diagnosis and continuity of care when they move between locations.
The network also met with Director of Medical Laboratory Services, Orok Okon, who assured that efforts were underway to improve staff training and ensure a more balanced spread of laboratory personnel.
ATM Networks comprises TB Network, Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), and the Association of Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN).
They are partnering with the National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA), on the COVID-19 Response Mechanism/C19RM Grant to strengthen health systems. The grant integrates communities and civil society organizations to close gaps and deliver more efficient, sustainable health outcomes.
