From Godwin Agia, in Jalingo
The Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has appealed to the Taraba State Government to urgently intervene to save patients battling AIDS/HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, warning that gaps in service delivery are putting lives at risk.
ACOMIN State Chairman, Alhaji Tanko Mohammed Danburam, made the call on Wednesday during a media briefing in Jalingo on the Global Fund Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) Project being implemented to strengthen accountability and improve healthcare access in the state.
Danburam said despite government efforts in deploying health workers and building facilities, many Taraba communities still face barriers to prevention, testing, treatment, and follow-up care for the three diseases.
“The evidence from the CLM intervention shows that weak referral systems are delaying treatment for patients. PHCs are unable to manage severe malaria cases and have no functional links to secondary hospitals, while TB/HIV patients are often not connected to treatment centres on time.
“Community efforts alone cannot sustain the fight. Addressing barriers to AIDS/HIV, TB, and Malaria services requires collective action. We need the Taraba State Government to step in and take ownership of the response,” he said.
He noted that treatment interruptions remain widespread. Rising transportation costs and frequent drug stock-outs force patients to miss appointments and abandon medication, raising the risk of drug resistance and poor health outcomes.
“Taraba communities are still facing challenges related to availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality of care despite the successes recorded through CLM,” he added .
Danburam also decried the acute shortage of trained healthcare workers in many PHCs said, one staff member handles screening, testing, counselling, drug dispensing, and record-keeping, resulting in long wait times and compromised quality of care for HIV, TB, and malaria patients.
He further stressed that frequent stock-outs of test kits and antimalarial drugs, plus non-functional GeneXpert machines, leave patients with no option but to travel long distances or forgot diagnosis entirely.
He highlighted its organization contributions through the CLM project, including community-led renovation of health facilities, borehole construction, procurement of blood pressure monitors and malaria medications, and engagement of volunteers and cleaners to support service delivery.
Development partners who also took turns to applaud ACOMIN were Senior Program Officer, Strategic Information Department Institute of Human Virology Nigeria,
Enoch Daniel Yenle, Social Behaviour Change (SBC) Society for Family Health, Joshua Dand and Ruth Emmanuel NEPWHAN, state M&E Officer all pledged to keep collaborating with ACOMIN to bring better health service delivery in the state
