Rivers gives officials 46 motorcycles to track tuberculosis patients

The Rivers State Government has presented 46 motorcycles to tuberculosis supervisors and their deputies in the 23 local government areas of the state to fast-track tracking and treatment of the disease.

The government said the gesture was in collaboration with its partners, including the Federal Ministry of Health.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, while presenting the motorcycles to the health officials in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Thursday said it was to enable them to reach the hard-to-reach areas of the state and ultimately rid the state of tuberculosis.

Oreh further said the donation was geared towards ensuring that the state, which is currently ranked third in the country in tuberculosis eradication, gets to the first position.

She stated, “Tuberculosis is one of those notorious infections which have been ravaging countries across the world, especially low and middle-income countries such as Nigeria.

“In partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme with immense support from the Global Fund, we are here gathered with these 46 motorcycles which will be given to the 23 local government areas TB Supervisors and their Deputies.

“We know that at the forefront of tackling this deadly infectious disease is active community surveillance. These motorcycles will enable the TB supervisors and the deputies to go into the nooks and crannies of our communities to identify those who may be infected and put them on the treatment that they need.

“It may interest you to note that Rivers State has a treatment success rate of 96 per cent which is above the World Health Organisation benchmark. But with these motorcycles, I’m confident that we (Rivers) will get to 100 per cent treatment success.”

The commissioner expressed happiness that the efforts of the State Tuberculosis Treatment Programme have yielded significant results over the years, saying, “As of today, Rivers State has been acknowledged nationally by the Federal Ministry of Health as the number three in the states effort to eradicate tuberculosis in the country and we want to render the state free of Tuberculosis.”

She added, “These motorcycles are to assist them to carry out this work more successfully in our communities and we realised that to reach our communities and other locations can be very hard and that’s why these motorcycles have been provided to assist them to do that work, to find people.

“To find our brothers and our sisters within the communities in the hard-to-reach areas who may be suffering in silence, identify them, get them on treatment, and clear them of tuberculosis so that we render Rivers State free of tuberculosis.”