There are no TB drugs in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. This was disclosed in a recent stakeholder meeting with Dr. Bassey Akpan, the State TB Program Manager of Akwa Ibom, by the Gender Equality Fund (GEF) project team led by Lawyers Alert, under the project titled ‘Law, Rights and Community Empowerment for Social Change in TB, HIV, and Malaria Response’. It was further revealed that the TB drug shortage crisis affects not only Nigeria but countries across the globe.

This global TB drug shortage is significantly impacting Nigeria’s public health system, posing a severe threat to the ongoing treatment of TB patients and hindering the initiation of new patients on TB Preventive Therapy (TPT).

The State TB Program Manager highlighted the following key points:

  1. Global Drug Shortage: The worldwide scarcity of TB drugs has led to a substantially reduced availability of these essential medications in Nigeria.
  2. Impact on TB Treatment: The shortage adversely affects individuals currently undergoing TB treatment. They are at risk of treatment interruptions in their therapy and increased risk of drug resistance.
  3. Challenges for TB Preventive Therapy (TPT): The shortage also threatens the initiation of new patients on TB Preventive Therapy, increasing the risk of potential rise in TB transmission and new infections.
  4. Rationing of TB Drugs: Lack of or limited supply of TB drugs will necessitate rationing, which is far from ideal and could compromise the effectiveness of TB control efforts in Nigeria.

The project team, comprised of Lawyers Alert and Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria -MHR, is deeply concerned about the public health implications of this shortage and the impact on the right to access quality health care by PATBs. We remain committed to collaborating with the State TB Program and other stakeholders to explore all possible avenues to mitigate the effects of this shortage.

Our efforts will focus on advocating for increased national and international support to address the TB drug shortage crisis, equitable distribution of available TB drugs, and effectively reporting the status of this process.

We also call on the public and private sectors to collaborate closely to resolve this crisis swiftly to prevent a serious public health emergency.

For further information, please contact:

Lawyers Alert

lawyersalert@lawyersalertng.org