Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has commissioned a-state-of-the-art Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment Centre located within the premises of the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, in commemoration of this year’s World Tuberculosis Day.
Fashola, who was represented by his Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, explained that building of the centre was informed by the fact that those who are likely to be affected by the disease would be unable to afford the necessary treatment, adding that the emergence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is also of particular concern to government.
He noted that the centre, which has been adjudged the first of its kind in the country, would not only benefit the people but would also serve as an opportunity to raise public awareness on this killer disease, that is curable, preventable and that can be stopped.
The governor stressed the importance of health as it affords an individual the opportunity to play his role in contributing to the advancement of the society, stressing that the thrust of his administration health policy is to bring health and welfare services within the reach of all inhabitants of the state.
Fashola opined that the burden of disease in the environment remains the communicable ones, of which tuberculosis is of great importance, noting that factors that promote the spread of the disease include rapid urbanization, emergence of slums, inadequate housing, leading to overcrowding and rural urban migration.
He explained that the state government has increased the number of Direct Observation Treatments TB centres as well as trained health workers on the management of TB at the Mainland Hospital to be able to respond to epidemics of communicable diseases by putting in place a disease surveillance and notification machinery responsible for the tracking, reporting and responding to incidences of communicable diseases in the state.
The governor urged those infected to adhere to all the treatment procedures received at the centre and after discharge stays healthy by eating lots of vegetables, exercise daily, as well as stop alcohol ingestion, drug abuse and smoking.
Earlier, the Minister of Health, Prof. Chukwu Onyebuchi, stated that the emergence of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis poses a major challenge to the global effort to stop TB, adding that not only is the diagnosis difficult, it requires special skills and equipment with its treatment costly as well as requiring long hospital admission.
According to the minister, the Federal Government considers this challenge serious and as such has put in place MDR TB reference laboratories in various National Specialists Hospitals and Research Centres across the country.
“Government shall develop more efficacious vaccines, increase public awareness and ensure that patients present early for treatment. We shall continue to improve access to diagnosis and provide treatment,” he said.