No one must die from TB, its curable — Health Director

Mr Joseph Kwami Degley, Ketu South Municipal Director of Health Services has said nobody should die from Tuberculosis (TB) because the infectious disease is curable and preventable.

He said it was important for people to report to health facilities when they start to cough with sputum for diagnosis to allow for early detection and treatment saying, delay in seeking care could be disastrous.

The Municipal Director, who was speaking at the launch of Volta Regional TBImpact -Ghana Project at Wudoaba in the Ketu South Municipality said no death must result from TB (caused by bacteria that most often affect the lungs) when its treatment was free and accessible.

“If anybody should die of TB now, we can take it that the person has decided to commit suicide. I am saying this because there is a potent cure for TB and the treatment is free and easily accessible at all health facilities.

Mr Degley said in line with Hope for Future Generations' (HFFG) goal to improve the well-being and quality of life of communities by empowering them with information to enable them to make critical decisions through partnerships, capacity building, youth-friendly service deliveries, advocacy among others, the health sector also had universal health - expanding services to the doorsteps of all people as one of its major objectives.

He said the Directorate was doing its best to implement this objective and called for collaboration from all to make it effective.

The TBImpact – Ghana is a year-long project being implemented by HFFG with a grant secured from the Stop TB Partnership aimed at capacitating affected communities to lead to the design, implementation, and monitoring of TB interventions, as well as promoting accessible, equitable and quality TB services in selected districts in Greater Accra, Central and Volta Regions of Ghana.

Mr Wisdom Klenyuie, Regional TB Coordinator, who provided some statistics to underscore the need to take the fight against the disease seriously, said TB patients must adhere to treatment.

He said stopping TB treatment prematurely could lead to Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) TB, a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to most effective first-line anti-TB drugs.

“MDR-TB is a severe form of TB, and its treatment takes about 9-11 months using special drugs while drug-susceptible (normal) TB is treated with a standard six-month course.”

Madam Cecilia Lodonu-Senoo, Executive Director of HFFG, Ms Patricia, in a speech read for her said the project which formed part of efforts to reduce the TB burden and advocate increased funding for the disease was being implemented in partnership with the National Tuberculosis Programme, Ghana Health Service, TB Voice Network and One Impact Digital Solutions.

She indicated that the project would be community-led involving 15 TB advocates and women-led groups who would undergo training to lead advocacy and policy dialogue at all levels using locally generated TB data.

There would also be quarterly media talk shows using TB survivors, TB activists, and young women affected by TB, participation of trained TB survivors in quarterly TB reviews and, organisation of training on One Impact software for TB survivors to empower community members with the right information on TB.

Mr Charles Amanyo, Municipal Health Promotion Officer in declaring the project duly launched, expressed hope the project would contribute to stopping the disease and called, “we should all be concerned to work to make the project live up to its name, TBImpact, as no one knows the next victim.”

GNA