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The Deputy Health Director in charge of Public Health, Dr Michael Rockson Agyei has voiced that adequate financial resources, and effort from society, is the only solution to win the fight against Tuberculosis and reverse the severe impacts of COVID-19 on service delivery.
He told that The National TB control programme has introduced innovations to improve case detection and which include bi-directional testing of COVID-19 and TB cases, TB preventive therapy, modern diagnostics, yet despite these efforts, case detection remains very low, below 40%.
Dr Michael Rockson Agyei was addressing the press at the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate in Kumasi on World Tuberculosis Day, March 24. This year’s theme, ““Invest to end TB, Save Lives” is aimed at providing a significant occasion for all health workers, partners, researchers, the TB community, and all governments to contribute their resources to fight against TB.
With 44,000 people becoming infected of Tuberculosis every year in Ghana, it is needful to join the fight against the curable disease which is transmitted from a sick person thus a droplet infection through coughing, singing and sneezing, which makes it an airborne disease.
He further confirmed that TB is preventable and diagnosis and treatment are available free of charge to all persons in public facilities and also accredited private health facilities.
Dr Rockson referenced that in 2021, over 13,000 cases of TB were diagnosed in Ghana and 86% of them were successfully treated, with the Ashanti region recording about 2,100 cases in the same period, and 83% successfully treated.
He advised that TB patients should be encouraged to complete treatments rather than being ostracized.
By Isaac Owusu
