Bukola Afeni
The Federal Government has hailed the private sector’s crucial role in the country’s efforts to eradicate Tuberculosis (TB).
Speaking at a press briefing to commemorate the 2025 World TB Day, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, emphasized the significance of private-sector partnerships in TB control.
The Minister who was represented by
by Dr Nse Akpan, Director of Port Health Services, FMOH, noted that the private sector’s involvement has contributed significantly to Nigeria’s progress in TB detection and treatment.
He cited the example of the Public-Private Mix DOTs (PPM-DOTs) plan, which has expanded TB services to about 4,000 private facilities across all states in 2024, up from 1,451 in 2018.
The minister also highlighted the success of the $50 million bond raised in 2024 to support TB control efforts in Nigeria, with the private sector contributing 50% of this amount.
“This innovative financing mechanism has helped bridge the TB funding gap and ensured the sustainability of TB control interventions.”
Prof. Pate commended the private sector’s commitment to Nigeria’s TB eradication efforts, saying, “We recognize the invaluable contributions of our private sector partners, who have demonstrated their dedication to supporting our national TB control efforts.”
The minister also outlined the government’s plans to further engage the private sector in TB control, including the expansion of public-private partnerships and the development of innovative financing mechanisms.
As Nigeria marks the 2025 World TB Day, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to ending the TB epidemic, with the private sector playing a vital role in this effort.
The CEO of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), who was represented by Senior Communications Manager Uzoma Nwafor, said the Institute has championed an extensive Public-Private Mix (PPM) strategy to harness the potential of private healthcare providers in TB detection and treatment.
“Over 15,000 Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMV) have been trained and linked to TB diagnostic and treatment facilities.
More than 1,000 pharmacists have been integrated into TB referral networks.
We also have over 4000 private hospitals now actively diagnosing and treating TB”, she said.
The integration of digital screening tools, such as the Mobile Application for TB Screening (MATS), has further enhanced TB reporting from the private sector, says IHVN.
“By 2024, over 40% of notified TB cases in IHVN-supported states originated from private providers, demonstrating the impact of this engagement model.
Under the Global Fund-supported 2024–2026 Grant, IHVN continues to expand its community-based TB case-finding efforts, deploying active case-finding teams in rural and underserved areas.”
“The team, composed of community health workers, mentor mothers, and sample movers, facilitates screening, sample collection, and transportation to diagnostic centres, ensuring that no patient is left behind.
In addition, she highlighted that IHVN supports community teams to systematically screen all pregnant women for TB and HIV, ensuring timely diagnosis and linkage to care.
“In 2024 alone, over 270,000 pregnant women were screened for TB and HIV in both community settings and unconventional sites, enabling early diagnosis and initiation of preventive therapy where necessary”.
The WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo said the Nigerian government has launched a Private Sector TB Strategy to combat tuberculosis (TB) in the country.
According to the WHO Country Rep, the initiative has paved way for developing additional domestic resources needed to achieve national and global TB targets.
The Private Sector TB Strategy is part of the government’s efforts to end TB by 2030.
“With the support of the WHO and other partners, Nigeria has made significant progress in its TB response efforts, including a 300% increase in TB notification from 138,583 in 2020 to 418,198 in 2024.
“However, despite this progress, Nigeria still accounts for more than 5% of the global TB burden, with an estimated 499,000 TB cases occurring annually. The Private Sector TB Strategy aims to address this challenge by leveraging private sector resources and expertise to support TB control efforts.
As Dr. Mulombo emphasized, “We must sustain our efforts and gains achieved in recent years to stop the spread of the disease and end the TB epidemic by 2035.” The WHO will continue to support Nigeria in developing and implementing guidelines, plans, and strategic documents to end TB epidemic in Nigeria.”
