By Haruna Usman- Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi first lady, Hajiya Zainab Nasare Idris, on Tuesday put to use a drug resistant tuberculosis treatment centre at Argungu local government area of the state.
The TB champion in Kebbi state said that the centre is an improved tuberculosis center designed to treat patients who are resistant to drugs with modern facilities to help in the cure of TB and to stop its spread.
She said, as the TB champion, efforts has been stepped up to discourage stigmatisation against people living with tuberculosis as a measure to give them life since there is permanent cure to the disease.
Representative of the Federal Ministry of Health under National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control, Dr. Bello Umar Tambuwal, in his submission stated that for over eight years Kebbi state has been clamouring for the TB center because it has been in existence in 19 northern states except Kebbi.
According to him, the centre is for patients with acute tuberculosis who attained severe stage due the drugs resistance once they are admitted they would get cured.
Earlier, in his speech, the commissioner for Health Kebbi state, Alhaji Yunusa Musa Ismail thanked the first lady for her various interventions in the health ministry particularly on the girl-child and for standing to ensure the TB center is put use.
On health workers welfare, he said the state government has increased the salaries of doctors to equal those in the tertiary health institutions.
The commissioning was personally attended by Kebbi first lady, Zainab Idris, women groups such as National Council for Women Societies, NCWS, permanent secretaries and top government functionaries.