Madame Monica Chakwera, the First Lady, has highlighted the substantial strides made by Malawi in eradicating Tuberculosis (TB) over the past few years. She made these remarks during the End Tuberculosis Innovation Summit, which took place in New York alongside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) conference.
Chakwera pointed out that the incidence of TB has declined significantly, dropping from 197 cases per 100,000 people in 2015 to 125 cases per 100,000 in 2022.
She expressed concern about the challenges faced by women and girls in rural areas who have to undertake long journeys to access quality treatment. She advocated for a door-to-door treatment approach to ensure that patients receive early diagnosis and care
She said: “Strategies such as mobile diagnostics, community sputum collection, door to door screening are enablers to end TB by 2030.”
She also emphasized that addressing obstacles such as resource shortages and subpar service delivery demands a joint endeavor to mobilize resources and effectively execute strategies aimed at ending TB.
Consequently, she called upon diverse stakeholders and international organizations for increased support, stating that it would significantly enhance the program and service delivery, ultimately aiding Malawi in achieving its goal of TB elimination.
In his statement, Dr. Jae Wook Choi, the Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador of Global Health Security, underscored that the summit has been at the forefront of the TB fight for over a decade
“Let us all be united and commit ourselves to bridge the gap and strengthen the growing and thriving TB innovations ecosystem to eliminate TB,” he said.
He emphasized that the approach to combatting TB, which encompasses prevention, readiness, and swift response, is of utmost importance. Therefore, he said that there is a necessity to promote scientific advancements, allocate adequate funding, and encourage innovation to guarantee broader accessibility to high-quality treatment, testing, and care.
