The government has explained its strategies for the envisaged expansion of medical treatment services for tuberculosis (TB) following a reported increase in the number of cases.
Tabling his ministry's budget estimates for the financial year 2014/2015, the Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Seif Rashid, told the National Assembly that data have it that the number of TB patients is on the increase and people above 45 years of age are highly affected. "For the first time the TB Prevalence Survey was conducted last year.
It showed that the disease remains a threat with 295 people affected out of 100,000. People above 45 years of age are highly affected as compared to youths," he said.
Dr Rashid noted further that the government will continue with efforts to take TB treatment services to lesser hospitals from the Kibong'oto Hospital which is a specialized medical centre for TB treatment.
He added that TB services will be put up in mining areas as the study indicates that miners are in a risky environment when they contact the disease which is airborne.
Dr Rashid noted that Gene-Xpert machines will be distributed around the country to increase hospitals' capacity of diagnosing TB patients. In another development, the minister said that the ministry's efforts in collaboration with its stakeholders have managed to reduce HIV/ AIDS prevalence rate to 5.3 per cent in 2012 from 5.8 in 2008.
"This achievement has been registered following various efforts and campaigns geared at counselling and voluntary tests," he said.
He noted that by December 2013, the number of people who had tested has increased from 11,640 in 2009 to 20,469,241 which is equal to an average of an increase of 2,000,000 per annum.
"The increase in number is a vivid demonstration that the society is highly motivated and informed on the need to understand their health status," he said.
Dr Rashid noted that 457,901 HIV/AIDS patients were tested for TB out of which 5,413 patients or 1.2 per cent were discovered to have contracted TB and were put into treatment.
He noted that the ministry will continue to implement its Third Strategic Plan of HealthSector on HIV/AIDS Control (2013-2017) by giving treatment services and prescribing medicines to 202,000 patients by June 2015.
He added that the ministry will also enable 600 centres which issue ARVs to expectant mothers, to be able to take care of children and aged persons, as well as expanding home based care to reach out to 424,298.
In another development, the Shadow Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Antony Mbassa, challenged the government to put aside enough budgets for HIV/AIDS control.
"HIV/AIDS treatment have to a large extent relayed on development partners and very little is being put aside from local sources, for example, in the financial year 2013/14 an estimate of 212,515,275,277/- was funds from donors out of which 16,239,349,000/- was released which is an equivalent of 7.7 per cent only... .," he said.
He added that in the financial year 2014/15 the government has estimated 3bn/- or 2.27 per cent of the total budget and it will need 131,896,089,321/- from donors to make the total of the budget needed. "There has been shortage of ARVs from time to time including supply of fake drugs.
These incidents are of concern to patients and have terrified them," he said. The minister asked the House to endorse 622,952,923,000/- out of which 317,223,431,000/- is for recurrent expenditures and 305,729,492,000/- is for development projects.
Source: Tanzania Daily News