Report by Daniel Atori
Following concerns that the state may face tuberculosis crisis by mid this year, the Niger state government has said it will distribute over seventeen thousand (17,000) test kits (Sputum cups) to carry out test on patients in the second quarter of the year.
While disclosing this at the first Quarterly Coordination Meeting of the Civil Society on Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) for 2026 in Minna, the Logistics Officer of the Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Program, Niger state Ministry of Health, Esther Dauda said the Sputum cups will be distributed across the 25 local government areas within the second quarter of the year.
According to her “we have 275 focal facilities across the state and this quantity is enough to go round all the focal facilities.
“As a State, we have been able to get over 17,000 Sputum cups and the state government through the TB and Leprosy Control Programme is poised to move to a higher level to ensure the elimination of TB disease by the year 2030”.
It should be recalled that, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had during the World Tuberculosis Day in Minna this year warned that if funds and commodities for tuberculosis are not provided by the Niger state government, there would be serious crisis as from June, 2026.
According to the WHO National Professional Officer, TB, North Central Zone, Dr. Hananiya Dauda, “if the State government do not provide funds by mid this year, we may not have commodities and so we might have serious testing gap.”
Earlier, in his remarks, the State Coordinator, ACOMIN, Mr. Olasukanmi Kalejaiye emphasized that there is the need for the state government to work closely with program officers of Community Based Organisations (CBOs) for better distribution of the Sputum cups.
While urging Program Officers to engage with Directors Primary Health Care (DPHC) in various LGAs before implementing activities in any community, Kalejaiye advised that they be provided with Sputum cups for TB sample collection to support community interventions.
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