By Bunmi Yekini
Tuberculosis advocates, community groups and health workers on Friday urged the Nigerian government to immediately address shortages of key tuberculosis (TB) commodities, warning that stockouts in several states could undermine efforts to control one of the country’s deadliest infectious diseases.
In a joint statement, the coalition said health facilities in Lagos, Anambra, Benue and Cross River states were facing critical shortages of GeneXpert cartridges, TB medicines and other essential supplies used for diagnosis, treatment and patient monitoring.
The groups said the lack of GeneXpert cartridges, which enable rapid TB testing and diagnosis within hours, was delaying the detection of new cases and increasing the risk of transmission within communities.
“Without cartridges, patients wait weeks for diagnosis, become sicker and continue infecting their families and communities,” the statement said.
The advocates also warned that interruptions in the supply of first-line and second-line TB medicines could prevent newly diagnosed patients from starting treatment promptly, increasing the likelihood of drug-resistant tuberculosis, a more difficult and costly form of the disease to treat.
In addition to diagnostic supplies and medicines, the coalition reported shortages of laboratory reagents, sample collection bottles, protective masks and patient registers, describing them as essential components of Nigeria’s TB response.
The group called on the Federal Government, state governments, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme (NTBLCP), and development partners to urgently replenish stocks across the country.
Among its demands were the emergency distribution of GeneXpert cartridges to testing centres, uninterrupted supplies of TB medicines, and the restoration of adequate commodity stocks in Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) facilities and laboratories nationwide.
The coalition warned that failure to act could lead to increased TB transmission, rising cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis and preventable deaths.
Nigeria remains among the countries with the highest burden of tuberculosis globally, according to international health agencies, making uninterrupted access to diagnostic and treatment services critical to national disease control efforts.
The statement was signed by TB advocates, community stakeholders, health workers and citizens under the banner of a nationwide campaign calling for urgent government intervention to prevent disruptions in TB services.