By Isaac Olufemi Ojo
IBADAN – The Redeemers Aids Initiative for Peoples and Communities (RAPAC) in collaboration with the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPHWAN), Oyo State chapter, has raised the need for urgent attention over deteriorating healthcare conditions and chronic TB drug shortages in Ibadan North East Local Government Area.
During a follow-up advocacy visit to the office of the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) in Ibadan North East on Friday, the RAPAC state advocacy team highlighted critical lapses in service delivery observed during their Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) exercise under the Global Fund-supported ENTRY project.
Mr. Famiyesin Olatokunbo, the state program person for NEPHWAN, explained that the CLM project is designed to empower communities to take ownership of local health facilities.
“We set out to see how we can empower the community to monitor service delivery, resolve minor issues, and escalate those requiring immediate state-level intervention,” Olatokunbo stated. “This is a sustainability plan to ensure that even when Global Fund support eventually winds down, the gains made in the health sector remain intact.”
The program officer for RAPAC, Mrs. Owolabi Olufunmilayo, who briefed the Assistant Medical Officer of Health/Technical Coordinator, Mrs. Olaitan Idayat, painted a grim picture of the TB-directly observed treatment short course center and the Iwo Road Primary Health Centre (PHC).
“Our interviews with patients revealed that high transportation costs, frequent stock-outs of TB medication, and the deplorable state of sanitation facilities are major barriers to care,” Mrs. Olufunmilayo reported. “The few available toilets lack running water and are in a state of decay, making them unusable for patients and staff alike.”
The situation appears to be reaching a breaking point, according to the LGA’s Tuberculosis and Leprosy Supervisor (TBLS), Mrs. Agboola Oluyemi.
She disclosed that TB facility she manned recorded 168 patients in the last quarter, but the ongoing drug shortages have caused widespread panic.
“We are facing an alarming crisis,” Mrs.Oluyemi warned. “Because of the lack of drugs, patients are missing doses, which is causing them to develop drug-resistant TB. We have a massive problem on our hands in Oyo State.”
She further lamented that the lack of reagents, patient forms, and sampling materials across the state is crippling efforts to curb the disease.
While noting that a N50,000 transport intervention exists for Drug-Resistant TB (DRTB) patients, she argued that it is insufficient and called for broader community support to ensure patients remain consistent with their treatment to prevent relapses.
Adding to the health concerns, the Roll Back Malaria focal person for the local government, Mrs. Gegede Titilola, expressed worry over the public’s misuse of anti-malaria drugs.
She noted that many residents misidentify fever symptoms and self-medicate, leading to drug resistance and severe organ complications.“We urge residents to always conduct proper diagnostic tests before purchasing medication,” Mrs. Titilola advised. “Mixing up general fever with malaria is dangerous and leads to avoidable health crises.”
In his closing remarks, the Executive Director of RAPAC, Pastor Odutolu Olugbenga, commended the local government health team for their receptiveness and willingness to collaborate.
Responding to the team’s findings, the Assistant Medical Officer of Health, Mrs. Idayat, assured the group that she would formally brief her superiors on the issues raised and pledged the local government’s commitment to improving service delivery at the affected facilities.
