Anambra State Government has been advised to prepare for possible exit of international donors currently funding health interventions in the state.
The Program Manager, Gender Perspective and Social Development Centre, (GPSDC), Ogechukwu Ozoemena, gave the advice during an advocacy visit to the Director, Planning in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Arthur Iwuanya, as part of its Fund TB project, which is geared towards enhanced and sustainable service delivery through increased domestic investment for Tuberculosis (TB) interventions in five South-East and South-South states of Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, and Imo.
The project, which is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Palladium Group, has Policy Alert as the anchor organization while GPSDC executes it for Anambra State.
Other members of the cluster are: Center for Healthworks, Development and Research Initiative (CHEDRES), Concern for Women and Youth Empowerment (COWOYEM), and Initiative for the Prevention and Control of Diseases (IPCD).
Ozoemena, who represented the Executive Director of the organization, Eucharia Anekwe, explained that TB intervention currently enjoys six percent domestic funding and twenty-four percent donor funding, leaving a yearning funding gap of seventy percent.
“We fear that there may be serious problem if the donors eventually withdraw as they are threatening. So, our government must begin to marshal out ways of ensuring sustained funding any time this happens.
“That is why we come to you and we will do same with the Director of Budget to ensure that we make everybody understand why we need to do this. As I speak to you, Anambra has the highest TB burden in Nigeria and the cases are increasing silently.
“Awareness about it is also still very low while many live in denial. There is need for aggressive sensitization campaign which also needs a lot of funds,” Ozoemena concluded.
Contributing, the State TB Network Coordinator, Ify Unachukwu, explained that with the growing donor fatigue signaling a possible end to funding by international partners, government at all levels in Nigeria must be proactive to carry on the responsibility of funding public health issues like tuberculosis.
“For many years they have been supporting us and we should by now be strong to stand on our own. If we do not prepare for that, it will be disastrous when they finally leave.
“We strongly believe that government should explore private sector involvement which we have experimented and it worked very well. We have a lot of wealthy individuals in various parts of the state who can help in one way or the other to boost the state TB interventions.
Responding, the Director Planning, Arthur appreciated the objectives of the Fund TB project and the passion with which GPSDC is pursuing it. “This is a noble course but I would suggest that you look for Dr Chukwulobelu, who is in charge of the TB Control Program in the state. Carry him along because we are on the verge of commencing the bilateral discussion for the 2025 budget.
“Let him come up with budgetary provision for TB. Once it comes to bilateral discussion and he is able to justify it, there won’t be any problem. But, the initiative must come from the Ministry of Health. Then, approval will be easy at the level of the bilateral discussions,” Iwuanya assured.