A health focused non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region, Gosanet Foundation, has organised Tuberculosis (TB) screening in three communities to create awareness about the disease on Monday, as part of activities marking World Tuberculosis Day in the region.
The screening which took place at Adaklu-Waya, Adaklu-Torda and Adaklu-Dzakpo was on the global theme: “Yes, We can End TB- Commit, invest and deliver” was carried out in collaboration with the Adaklu District Directorate of Health, the National TB Control Programme (NTP), the Ghana Health Services with support from the Stop TB Partnership Ghana.
Speaking on the theme, the Adaklu District Director of Health Services (DDH), Mr Matthew Adam Ayamba, said TB was one of the diseases Ghanaians needed to be mindful of, and should report to health facilities whenever they experienced such symptoms as loss of weight, fever, sweating in the night, and coughing.
Mr Ayamba noted that many Ghanaians overlooked the TB disease due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and malaria, saying TB remained as a disease that should be considered as dangerous even though it could be cured, early diagnosis was crucial for early treatment.
He stressed that TB treatment was free and urged the people to screen regularly for the early identification of the disease.
According to the District Director, out of every 1000 people, 100 of them would test positive for TB, which called for collaboration from all stakeholders to eliminate it from the communities.
He lauded the activities of Gosanet Foundation for creating awareness through education and screening.
Mr Ayamba however, cautioned against stigmatisation of TB patients because it did not help treatment, and would not allow people to screen and be treated when diagnosed of the disease.
He spoke on the need for patients to take their medication regularly to avoid drug resistance.
The Director of Gosanet Foundation, Mr Samuel Atidzah, said his outfit was committed to carrying out regular education through screening to enable people to identify their status early to ensure treatment, and commended the Adaklu District Directorate of Health particularly the District Director for the technical support his organisation enjoyed from him so far.
Mr Atidzah stressed the need to embrace innovative strategies to ensure quality access to TB care, and strengthen community engagement to eliminate TB disease, which he said was preventable and could be cured when diagnosed early for treatment.
He, therefore, urged the people to take medical advice from health professionals to help in the early diagnosis and treatment of TB, adding that that TB prevention should be considered as a collective responsibility of all and called on the government and development partners to invest in TB disease prevention by the year 2030.
Mr Atidzah announced that due to the danger TB posed to communities, Gosanet extended its educational activities to schools, churches and mosques, markets and lorry stations for people to appreciate the importance of screening for TB rather than late diagnosis.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, ADKLU-DZAKPO
