Opening the event with a remark, Mr Felix Ukam, the Executive Director of CHEDRES maintained that the bull needs to be taken by the horn to win the fight against TB.
By Christiana Ofem
Participants have been empowered with the knowledge and skills needed to make a difference in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in Cross River State.
The empowerment was from a one-day workshop organized by the Centre for Healthworks Development and Research Initiative (CHEDRES), a member of the Fund TB Cluster, anchored by Policy Alert with support from USAID and Palladium. Participants were drawn from the CSOs and organized private sector.
Opening the event with a remark, Mr Felix Ukam, the Executive Director of CHEDRES maintained that the bull needs to be taken by the horn to win the fight against TB.
He urged the participants to utilize the knowledge they will gain to ensure TB cases decrease drastically.
Dr Jonah Offor, Cross River State Director of Public Health reiterated the commitment of the current administration to ensuring TB is dealt with appropriately. “TB is captured in the budget, we are waiting for the funds to be released.”
He highlighted ways in which TB can be controlled, noting that “It is preventable, treatable and curable. It becomes a problem when the infected people don’t get the needed treatment.”
On tuberculosis advocacy, Dr Bassey Ibor of the Centre for Community Empowerment averred that the project “aims to engage the government towards the requirement and the release of TB funds through advocacy.”
He highlighted strategic ways to advocate to the government and the general public and raise funds for TB interventions.
Mrs Jane Iwara of CHEDRES took participants through budgeting and financing for improving TB services in Nigeria.
The points of the workshop were the interactive session, networking, and group photograph.