TB patients in Ghana are at risk of dying or developing multi-drug-resistant TB due to an imminent shortage of essential TB drugs at health facilities across the country. Health facilities are currently rationing drugs among patients to meet their needs, but stocks are running dangerously low.
A major referral hospital in the country has completely run out of essential drugs such as Isoniazid 300mg, Ethambutol 400mg, Clofazimine 100mg, and Pyridoxine 100mg. Other drugs are in short supply, with only a few packs left, which can barely last the facility for a week.
One patient, Jojo, who has been on TB medication for six months, has only three days’ worth of drugs left and is worried about his next supply. Jojo is one of over 76,000 Ghanaians suffering from TB and requiring medication for survival.
Statistics from the Ghana Health Service indicate that over 30 lives are lost to tuberculosis in Ghana daily, while over 120 people get infected by the TB bacteria daily.
The imminent shortage of drugs is due to global fund commodities for HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria being locked up at the ports, despite government assurances of clearance. Stop TB Partnership Ghana has been pushing for the clearance of the containers, but the government has yet to act, despite promises to release the drugs.
The Executive Secretary of Stop TB Partnership Ghana, David Kwesi Afreh, warns that many more people risk being infected if patients develop multi-drug-resistant TB due to a break in medication.
