The Chairman of the House Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy, and Malaria Control, Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, has assured that Parliament will take decisive legislative action to combat tuberculosis (TB) through increased funding and laws protecting patients’ rights.
Speaking at the re-launch of the Nigeria Parliamentary TB Caucus, Ogah emphasized lawmakers’ role in strengthening the TB response.
He pledged to mobilize parliamentarians to champion policies that enhance TB detection, treatment, and prevention, stressing the urgent need for domestic resource mobilization as Nigeria falls short of the Abuja Declaration’s 15% health budget target.
Ogah commended President Bola Tinubu’s ₦700 billion health sector commitment and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s ₦1 billion TB eradication donation. He urged Parliament to intensify advocacy, close funding gaps, and enact laws protecting TB patients from stigma while ensuring healthcare access.
Speaker Hon Abbas Tajudeen who was represented by deputy majority leader Hon Ibrahim Halims reaffirmed the House’s commitment to increasing TB funding and legislative support, calling it a persistent but overlooked crisis.
He cited WHO data ranking Nigeria seventh globally and second in Africa for TB cases, with 361,000 new infections in 2023, including 63,000 HIV co-infections and 9% involving children.
Discussion0