Training of Community-based volunteers of Tuberculosis held in Winneba

The National Coordinator of Stop TB Ghana Partnership, Chief Austin Arinze has called on the support of civil society
and non-governmental organisations to partner the health sector in its efforts in combating the tuberculosis disease in the country.
He said Government and for that matter the health sector alone cannot fight the tuberculosis (TB) disease and so there was the need for effective collaboration by all to help fight the disease and evolve measures of combating it.

Chief Arinze said this at a two-day sensitization workshop for 100 community-based volunteers at Winneba in the Central Region. The volunteers were drawn from the communities of the catchment areas of Awutu, Senya Breku and Winneba.

The training workshop formed part of sustained and comprehensive activities by the Stop TB Ghana Partnership to harness and encourage traditional and community involvement in TB care and prevention and control.

Chief Arinze implored the volunteers to see themselves as integral partners in the fight against the TB disease and to ensure that their role is felt by starting their activities from their respective communities.

Dr. Kwesi Addo, Chairman of Stop TB Ghana Partnership expressed concern that the Central Region is among one of the regions that is not performing well in areas of case detection and treatment success of TB, which he noted is affecting efforts of the National Tuberculosis Control Programme (NTP) in achieving the national targets.

He therefore urged the participants to take the training seriously to be able to undertake visits to homes, faith based organisations, schools, clubs and market places to disseminate the TB messages.

Dr Addo said since the emergence of the disease in the country several collaborative measures have been undertaken to protect the people against the spread of the disease through monitoring and support visits to people at risk.

The programme manager of Afro Global Alliance, Mr Abudu Imoro said that TB is a contagious bacterial infection disease which normally attacks the lungs but could also affect any other organ or system in the body and is spread through the air that everybody breaths.

Mr Imoro said the workshop was therefore designed to equip participants with basic knowledge and skills on TB control to enable them to undertake behavioural change in communication activities in their respective communities.

The resource persons included the Municipal TB officer, Disease officer, HIV coordinator and the Medical Assistants of Ewutu and Senya Breku.

The participants discussed national profile of TB, regional and district performance, what TB is and its causes, care, prevention and control of TB, types of TB, activities of NTP and Stop TB Ghana Partnership, role of community based volunteers, DOTS strategy and community entry proceedings.