The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has stated that tuberculosis (TB) facilities and financial support provided by the First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, will significantly aid efforts to tackle TB cases across the six Area Councils of the nation’s capital, Abuja.
The Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health and Environmental Services Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, made this known during the commissioning of new TB diagnostic machines at Dutsen Makaranta Primary Health Centre, where the First Lady formally handed over a newly installed TB diagnostic machine as part of her Renewed Hope Initiative health outreach.
Dr Fasawe noted that the equipment would enhance early detection, especially in hard-to-reach communities, and strengthen the FCT’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s high TB burden.
According to her, “Our people don’t have to go to secondary hospitals anymore. You don’t need to give blood. These machines are fast, safe, and solar-powered, so even in communities without electricity, we can still test and treat.”
Read Also: Niger First Lady, UNICEF Urge Exclusive Breastfeeding Statewide
While shedding light on the tuberculosis burden in Nigeria, Dr Fasawe described TB as one of the country’s most under-reported killers, with over 100 Nigerians infected daily and at least seven deaths recorded every 24 hours, despite the availability of free treatment.
She commended the First Lady’s sustained dedication to healthcare, highlighting her previous donation of safety gear for frontline workers and her renewed focus on TB as a significant turning point in the national response.
Dr Fasawe further explained that the newly deployed machines have a predictive positivity rate of over 95%, utilise chest X-rays, are mobile, and require no electricity due to their solar-powered functionality.
Reiterating the urgency of the issue, she said:
“Every day, at least more than 100 people are catching tuberculosis in Nigeria. This is not right because tuberculosis is preventable, is treatable, and we can end tuberculosis. So what she has done today is, what she started doing since the first World Tuberculosis Day.
“She has supported us with a lot of money, precisely billions of naira, to ensure that we are able to make quick diagnosis and also to find the handshake between the primary health care centres, the secondary health care centres, and the tertiary centres in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Health and other funding partners. Due to what she has done, more attention is being paid on tuberculosis now.
“And I’m very happy to say with the machines we were able to procure, you don’t have to go to a secondary health centre to get tested for tuberculosis.
“They don’t have to take your blood. It’s very easy. It’s safe. It’s effective. These machines have over 95% predictive positivity. And we have chest X-rays, mobile, that don’t need light. These machines are solar-powered.”