By Iyema David
Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, senator representing Lagos central, has given reasons why neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are thriving in the country.
Speaking at a round table event organised by the Nigeria National Task Team on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Abuja on Tuesday , Tinubu said the diseases were preventable if measures were put in place to curb them.
The senator said all the states in the country have peculiar needs when it comes to ways of preventing these diseases, adding that private organisations could be involved in curbing them through corporate social responsibility (CSR).
“We don’t have a lot of awareness (about the diseases). It died a long time ago,” she said.
“The need in Lagos is quite different from the need in other states. I don’t believe there is a donor fatigue honorable minister Sen. Adeleke Mamora.
“Most potential donors are investing in trivialities. We can get them to do what is necessary. NTDs are preventable, this is where we should get private organisations to partners through CSR.”
On his part, Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, chairman of the senate committee on health, said the national assembly was committed to curbing the spread of these diseases in the country.
“As the national assembly, we are committed to ensuring sustained budgeting and release for NTD programmes across the country as well as oversight through the Senate and House of Representative Committees on Health and National Task Team in addition to mobilizing the relevant stakeholders, as we have done today, to commit to ending these diseases,” Oloriegbe said.
“It is my hope that my colleagues at the National Assembly will be convinced to include the elimination of NTDs to the list of their constituency projects.
“This would go a long way to alleviating the sufferings of Nigerians suffering from NTDs and would have a huge impact on the constituents.
“I urge the civil societies here present to please continue to act as the soul of the society, while paying increased attention to NTDs. As I have always maintained, access to good health should indeed be a basic human right.”
Medical Practitioner and former Member, House of Representative, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, said that there was need to provide potable clean water at the subnational levels.
Adejare added that the government should work towards providing portable water works at the local level which would reduce the disease burden of NTDs in the country.
He added that there was need to impose tax on products that contributes to the diseases burden.
While noting that there was need to have multisectoral collaboration to achieve the elimination of NTDs in the country.
