Tamale, June 29, GNA- Na Abukari Von Salifu, Chief of Tuyaa, in the Northern Region, on Saturday called on health research institutions to intensify their studies to enable them to arrive at findings that would assist improve upon the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). He said there was the need to expedite action on treatment trials on TB drugs to get those that were more potent and had shorter treatment regimes.

Na Salifu made the call at a capacity building workshop for 50 tuberculosis control and prevention volunteers in Tamale on Saturday. It was jointly organised by the Datoyili Women's Coalition, Tamale based non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service and National Tuberculosis Control Programme and funded by the Global Fund on HIV/AIDS.

Na Salifu called on the Global Fund on HIV/AIDS, the Ministry of Health and the National Tuberculosis Control Programme to increase their funding for TB research, especially in the critical areas of new diagnostics and new drugs.

He said this would ensure more accurate diagnosis and effective shorter treatment regimes, which were less toxic and could be used with antiretroviral as well as treatment of multi-drug resistance. Na Salifu expressed worry that about two million people die annually from TB even though the disease was curable and added that it was also a leading cause of death amongst People Living With HIV/AIDS. He appealed to the volunteers to intensify their awareness and sensitisation on the devastating effects of TB and to highlight its control and prevention.

Na Salifu urged NGOs and other implementing HIV/AIDS and malaria and TB control programmes to change their strategy of always organising floats as their awareness creation activities and rather organise house-to-house sensitisation and awareness campaigns in the communities.

Hajia Kande Abukari, Executive Director of the Datoyili Women's Coalition, said TB was a barrier to socio-economic development and cost the country not les than GH¢ 12, 000 million per year. She said the greatest burden of TB incidence and mortality in Ghana was among adults aged between 15 and 60 years, who were the productive members of the society. She said TB killed women more than causes of maternal mortality and led to lost of work days, children drop out from school and women been rejected by their families. Hajia Abukari said the workshop was aimed at boosting education and advocacy strategies towards the prevention of the spread of TB.