TIME TO ERADICATE TB (MARCH 26, 2009)

Health, they say, is wealth, for which reason many countries spend large chunks of their budgets on the health needs of their people.
Any country with an unhealthy population is likely to make very little progress. The population of such a country will spend most of their time queuing for medical care.
In the case of Ghana, where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, productivity will suffer when majority of the people are not healthy, resulting in the high prices of food.
For this reason, the Daily Graphic is worried about the upsurge in reported cases of some diseases in the country. Some of these diseases, such as Buruli ulcer, TB, guinea worm and yaws, were at certain stages said to have been eradicated. But, suddenly, they are afflicting people, even those in the urban centres.
The assurance by President J. E. A. Mills that his government will step up efforts towards the eradication of Buruli ulcer and other diseases is, therefore, refreshing.
These diseases do not only incapacitate their victims but also immobilise them in such a way as to affect their productivity, especially those in rural communities.
It is sad that we are confronted with the menace of these diseases on a very large scale at a time when there are technological advancement and better health facilities in most parts of the country. The treatment for some of these diseases, such as TB and Buruli ulcer, in public health facilities is free, and yet, for some inexplicable reasons, the victims are not making use of the facilities.
At the national launch of World TB Day in Bolgatanga on Tuesday, it was reported that Ghana records about 14,000 new cases of TB every year, as against an average of 5,000 cases recorded in the 1980s. The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, said the increase in the reported cases could be the direct result of the increase in HIV sero-prevalence rate and other socio-economic factors such as poverty and lack of accommodation.
The situation in the case of TB has become more alarming because persons with HIV/AIDS are susceptible to TB, while some strains of the disease have now become resistant to the drugs commonly used to treat it.
Public education on the diseases has become imperative because local beliefs have contributed to the slow progress in bringing the disease under control.
The Daily Graphic urges TB patients to collaborate with health workers by following the treatment plans, including the drugs given to them at the health facilities.
We also call on health workers, particularly public health workers, to disabuse the minds of the public about the superstitious beliefs surrounding TB and other diseases so that patients can seek better care for their health problems.
Our health workers and policy makers must exploit the inherent advantages in advances in science and technology to help control the spread of diseases and free the energies of the people for productive activities.
The Daily Graphic also calls on the government to initiate policy interventions that will improve the income levels of the people so that we can rise above some of the health challenges that are rearing their ugly heads as a result of poverty and traditional beliefs.
We need to empower our people with knowledge so that they can adopt preventive measures to stop the spread of TB and other diseases.