Humanity vs TB: Global road map to defeating TB released, but SA still battling basic obstacles By Ayanda Mthethwa
Released on 20 March 2019 and carried out by the National Department of Health, Aurum Institute and the National TB programme, the Lancet Commission on Tuberculosis report addresses essential areas to combat TB. The report was launched in South Africa on Tuesday 26 March.
Some of the areas identified were scaling up proven strategies, research and development, sustainable financing and an enabling environment. During the launch of the report, community healthworkers pleaded with Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi to acknowledge their integral contribution towards combating TB.
Even though the report does not distinctly address the responsibility of community healthcare workers, it does mention the need to “reallocate resources so that they align with how and where people with tuberculosis and those at risk of developing the disease, seek care”.If we are not doing much about community healthworkers, it’s not because of lack of political will, it’s because of resources.
Another speaker, Zoleka Swakamisa, an HIV and LGBT+Q activist who is also a TB survivor, expressed her gratitude that the dosage of pills has decreased. She said it was a double struggle for HIV patients who also had TB to ingest both medicines.A lot of people have died because of the dosage of pills we used to get as TB patients. I doubt there’s anyone who would like to be swallowing six pills half the size of my finger.
Further, Swakamisa requested that more research be done to find a way to combine HIV and TB drugs into one to lessen the burden for patients.Science and technology are so extraordinarily advanced, but how do we explain ourselves up to now when you give TB treatment to a newborn, you have to break a pill. Nothing was developed for a newborn, not even a mere syrup for newborns. Therefore, we must hold other stakeholders accountable in this fight,” he said.
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