FG Moves to Bridge Gap in Testing for Tuberculosis

•As First Lady commissions diagnostic machine at Dutse PHC in Abuja

Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

As the federal government intensifies effort at closing the gap in the number of undetected tuberculosis cases in the country, wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday unveiled new tuberculosis diagnostic machines and X-ray equipment at the Dutsen Makaranta Primary Healthcare Centre in Federal Capital Territory FCT, Abuja.

The instrument known as the Rapid Molecular Diagnostic Machine which is AI-driven will ensure delivery of timely, accurate, and accessible diagnosis to the communities.

Speaking at commissioning ceremony Mrs. Tinubu who was represented by the wife of Kwara State governor, Dr. Olufunke Abdulrazaq, said the provision of the rapid diagnostic machines was part of her commitment when she donated an additional N1 billion through the renewed hope initiative to further support the fight against tuberculosis in Nigeria.

She said the diagnostic machines will be deployed across Nigeria to enhance rapid, accurate TB detection, especially in underserved areas, so they can help break the dangerous chain of transmission by ensuring that those infected are quickly diagnosed and placed on treatment.

She urged stakeholders to intensify efforts in mobilizing domestic resources for the elimination of tuberculosis in Nigeria.

She said: “I am pleased to say again that this pledge has been translated into reality. Tuberculosis is curable, but far too many Nigerians are still dying from TB not because there is no technology to detect the disease, but because access to the appropriate diagnostics tools is limited.

“But by the grace of God, this is the gap that the Renewed Hope Initiative with support of other stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, is trying to bridge this gap. This is why today’s commissioning is so significant.

“It is important to say that Nigeria requires not only machines and medication, she demands resources, including human, financial, technical and political. I take this moment to emphasize the importance of increasing and sustaining domestic resources in our national TB response.”

In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said the machines will help greatly in ramping up test for tuberculosis across the country.

He said the federal government is making steady progress in expanding primary health care, through renewing of the infrastructure in our federal facilities, incentivizing of health workers and mobilizing our society to ensure that health outcomes get better.

“We are very pleased that in the first three months of 2025 alone, more than 36 million visits were recorded at the primary healthcare centres all over Nigeria,” he said.

Minister of State for FCT, said that significance of the commissioning of the diagnostic machine yesterday was to sensitize the populace on the health dangers of undetected and untreated tuberculosis and to use the opportunity to urge them to come out and be tested for the disease.

In her welcome address, the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Social Services, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, said that if Nigeria could end polio within a short space time, there is no way such a feat will not be repeated in the case of TB.

“We truly can end TB in Nigeria. I want to commend the health systems, because we have managed to end polio in Nigeria. I doubt if there’s any child less than seven years old walking around with acute polio, placid paralysis, as we used to see when we were young, we were able to end polio,” she said.

On its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) described the deployment of the new diagnostic machines as a significant milestone, adding that early detection and treatment of tuberculosis will reduce its spread.

A traditional ruler in Bwari Area Council, Ibrahim Umaru expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her intervention in providing the new equipment for the hospital.