As the preparation for 2025 budget in Akwa Ibom State continues, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO, Policy Alert, has extracted commitments from relevant stakeholders including the State House of Assembly and government officials to ensure that Tuberculosis treatment is captured as a line item in the budget.
The commitment was made on Thursday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital during a stakeholders’ round table discussion in partnership with Palladium Group with support from the United States Agency for International Development, USAID.
The Executive Director of Policy Alert, Tjah Bolton-Akpan in his address said the programme which is running in five states – Anambra, Imo, Delta, Cross River and Akwa Ibom – seeks the introduction of Tuberculosis as a stand-alone item in the budget of Akwa Ibom as other states have their peculiar demands in terms of addressing TB scourge.
Bolton-Akpan, who was represented by Mr Faith Paulinus, said despite the risk and wide spread of TB in the state – as 3200 persons are already infected by the disease – it was not captured in the 2024 budget and hoped that would be addressed 2025, hence the invitation of all the relevant stakeholders for the meeting.
Also, the Programme Officer of Policy Alert, Edidiong Dickson, who called for funding of TB care in Akwa Ibom especially in the building of facilities, noted the difficulty and near impossibility of housing patients of different sexes that are down with drug resistant type of TB.
“The situation in Akwa Ibom is that you cannot house the same sex in one place, if they are admitting men who have drug resistant TB this month, next month will be for women that have it. If there is budget for TB, the state government could have built a facility large enough to contain both men and women and they will have large space for recreational activities,” he said.
Chairman, House Committee on Health at the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Moses Essien in his remarks expressed readiness to partner with any organisation to fight against the spread of TB saying that legislations are needed to strengthen the fight against the infectious disease.
Admitting the need for government to come in to support TB control through funding, the lawmaker wondered what would become of TB patients if the international donor partners withdraw their support abruptly, saying that government would work towards sustaining the support.
On his part, the Secretary, Akwa Ibom State Fiscal Responsibility Committee, Victor Edet, who represented the Commissioner for Finance, Linus Nkan, said for TB to be funded and have a place in the budget, the ministry, department or agency responsible must first of all come up with a budget line that would be mainstreamed.
He said government does not spend money not budgeted for and encouraged Policy Alert to work with the Ministry responsible at that level to input their demands.
“People in the health sector should first come up with it, so that we, in the budget will act. We don’t spend money not budgeted for,” he said.
Dr Arthur Igbemi speaking, said the onus lies on MDAs to add TB into the budget and it would be taken up from there saying, “it is criminal for an item to be included in the budget at a higher office in government.”
He commended Policy Alert for the dialogue approach it deployed in pressing their demands saying that such method was in line with the ARISE agenda of governor Umo Eno.
CSO extracts commitment from A’Ibom Govt, Assembly for inclusion of TB in 2025 budget
