The Global Fund has raised alarm over the increasing incidence of untreated multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Nigeria.
According to the key partner in Nigeria's National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), the survival of about 250 patients with untreated cases of MDR-TB is being threatened by Nigerian government's delays in releasing funds for procurement of
the 2nd line drugs specifically required for treating MDR-TB, under the
NTBLCP initiative.
The Global Fund said the funding deficit coupled with the nation's slow payment process
for the 2nd line drugs,are allegedly causing a build up of new patients
waiting for the urgently required life-saving drugs and threatening the
nation's overall tuberculosis control effort
Already, fears are making the rounds of an imminent and total
collapse of efficacy of the common first-line TB drugs such as Isoniazid
and Rifampicin.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nigeria is ranked
4th out of 22 countries with 75 per cent of the global burden of TB.
About 36 per cent of TB cases are detected with over 60 per cent
untreated in the country and the escalating cases of MDR-TB cases
currently constitutes a major source of worry.
Raising concerns over the nations' growing MDR-TB Drug crisis the
Head, Grant Management Division, Global Fund, Mark Eldon-Edinton, urged
Federal government to live up to its commitment and expedite action on
the release of funds for treatment of the disorder.
In a letter to the Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, who is
Chairman, Country Coordinating Mechanism, CCM, Eldon-Edington strongly
urged government to adopt an automatic procurement and payment method
for 2nd line drugs in order to prevent future occurrence of the crisis.
"I'm writing to express great concern about the ongoing MDR-TB drug
crisis in Nigeria due to delays in the release of funds for the procure
ment of 2nd line drugs by government," he noted.
Eldon-Edington said the Global Fund financing is based on the
principle of additionality and has been programmed taking into account
the government's own commitment. has invested.
He said a total of US$147 million signed in TB grants of which
US$103 million has been disbursed to fund diagnosatic capacity and scale
up of first and second line treatment and care. Under the funding
model, an additional US$117 million has been allocated for TB control in
Nigeria.
"For the period January 2013 -mid 2015, the NTBLCP budgeted 2nd line
drugs for 1,200 patients with 500 cures to be procured by the Ministry
of Health and 700 funded by the Global Fund. By end of 2013, a total of
552 patients had been culmulatively enrolled for 2nd line treatment
primarily financed byu the Global fund, while the goivernment funding
for the 2nd line treatment drugs is pending and the number of new
patients waiting for treatyment rapidly increasing; now reaching 250 of
untreated drug resistant cases.
"Honourable Minister, I seek your urgent action to expedite the
release of funds and the payment process for the 2nd line drugs as per
the government's commitment. With the number of untreated patients
increasing by day, out joint TB control efforts are undermined and we
are paving way to an even more dangerous and more costly Extensive Drug
Resiostant, XDR-TB, crisis in Nigeria.
"While the Global Fund has been requested to fund the roll out of new
GeneXpert technology in this country, which provides opportunity for
setting up a routine Drug Resistant TB surveillance system, the
provisdion of treatment and care will nmeed to be stepped up in
parallel. We would much appreciate hearing from you how this is
reflected in the 2014 government budget," Eldon-Edington remarked.
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