Posted on: Thu 21-03-2024

The Federal Government, yesterday, received 72 project vehicles and some laboratory diagnostic equipment from global donors to support the country’s Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Tuberculosis national response.

The equipment, which was procured with a support grant by the Global Fund as part of the Grand Cycle 6 investment in the 2021 to 2023 implementation period, was unveiled, yesterday, at the Federal Central Medical Stores, Oshodi, Lagos, by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa.

The laboratory diagnostic equipment includes 333 laboratory machines with an estimated total cost of $11.980 million procured for deployment nationwide to effectively close the gap in the time and management of tuberculosis; procurement of 250 mobile digital chest x-ray machines with an estimated cost of $32.8 million for TB screening and molecular diagnostics to optimise active case findings of TB.

The Global Fund also procured 100 TB-lamp machines with an estimated cost of $6.5 million, following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendations that TB-lamp can replace microscopy for the diagnosis of pulmonary TB in adults with symptoms of TB.

Alausa, in an interview with journalists, thanked the President for his passion and commitment to drive the country forward, saying that the President does not believe in superficial work but in fixing the country from bottom to up.

Alausa said: “Our continuous collaboration with developing partners has helped to provide good and better care for Nigerian citizens. Today, Global Fund is one of our biggest partners helping us in areas of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and

has donated over $4.6 billion in grants in the past decade to support Nigeria. “Nigeria has also met its commitments by putting almost $40 million into the grant and we will continue to work with the partners.”

“The equipment was purchased with the funding support of the Global Fund as part of the Grand Cycle 6 investment in 2021-23. This equipment has been distributed nationwide to effectively close the diagnostic gap in the management of tuberculosis.

The minister of state for health, who spoke on the need to strengthen our healthcare system, added: “We have to strengthen our healthcare system so that many years from now when the grants are gone, we will have enough capacity and human resources to continue moving ahead in protecting our citizens. The President is giving the Ministry of Health all the needed support as the 2024 budget has the highest budgetary allocation to the healthcare sector in the history of the country.”

Meanwhile, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Emmanuel Akinola Abayomi, in his vote of thanks, said: “Global Fund is always there where there is a high burden of disease and without this donor-funding, the world will not be where we want it to be today. On behalf of Lagos State, Nigerians and anyone suffering from this potentially curable disease, I want to thank the Global Fund for contributing to humanity and for the donation.”

Also, Head of Grant Management, Global Fund, Mark Edington, said: “We've seen significant progress on the 95-95-95 targets, which you just saw on the screen. The increase in active case finding has been remarkable.

“On malaria, the majority of the 13 states supported by the Global Fund showed significant positive progress on under-5 prevalence. For example, in Kwara State, it reduced from 26 per cent in 2015 to 5.6per cent in 2021.”

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