Community Monitoring Improves TB Detection In Four Bayelsa Health Centres

Community-Led Monitoring has improved tuberculosis detection and service delivery in four primary healthcare centres in Bayelsa State between July and September 2026, according to the Civil Society for the Eradication of Tuberculosis in Nigeria, TB Network.

The State Coordinator of the network, Ezuzu-Opia Benita, disclosed this during the Bi-Annual Community-Led Monitoring Media Roundtable involving civil society organisations working on tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS in Yenagoa.

Benita said the meeting reviewed challenges community-based organisations encountered, identified possible solutions, and developed advocacy strategies for engagement with government authorities. She stated that the interventions were implemented under the Global Fund, the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, and the ATM Networks Integrated Community-Led Monitoring Grant Cycle 7, which seeks to identify and address gaps in HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria service delivery. According to her, the programme covers 105 local government areas, 315 wards and 315 health facilities across 21 Global Fund-supported states, with the TB Network coordinating activities in 11 states, including Bayelsa.

Benita said the network engaged the Executive Secretary of the Bayelsa State Primary Healthcare Board, the Director of Public Health, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, resulting in improved healthcare delivery. She, however, identified poverty and low public awareness as persistent barriers to accessing healthcare, particularly in rural communities. “Access to healthcare should not be determined by a person's financial status,” she said, and called for improved access to essential tuberculosis, malaria and HIV services at primary healthcare centres, alongside affordable healthcare options for residents unable to enrol in the state health insurance scheme.

In its July to September impact report, the network highlighted interventions at four health facilities.

At Amatolo Primary Healthcare Centre in Ward 10, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, the facility had recorded no positive tuberculosis cases for about a year amid low detection rates and shortages of diagnostic commodities. Following advocacy by the Progress Care and Support Foundation and engagement with the local government tuberculosis focal person, Kime Gesikeme, two cases were detected and linked to treatment.

At Famgbe Primary Healthcare Centre in Yenagoa Local Government Area, community advocates, youth leaders and health workers conducted active screening, resulting in a significant increase in monthly tuberculosis screenings within one month.

At Egweama Primary Healthcare Centre, providing a weighing scale to the tuberculosis unit on September 16 eliminated the need for patients to visit the Out-Patient Department for weight checks before receiving drug refills.

At Ogbia Primary Healthcare Centre, the Bethel Viva Foundation Community-Led Monitoring team's intervention on dilapidated windows led to repairs by the Ward Development Committee and the facility’s Officer-in-Charge.

Also speaking, the network’s tuberculosis focal person and Public Health Specialist with the Bayelsa State Primary Healthcare Board, Tarikebi Opufou, reaffirmed the board’s commitment to working with civil society organisations to improve healthcare delivery in underserved communities.

Opufou urged community leaders and residents to support tuberculosis prevention by identifying suspected cases, encouraging prompt medical attention and promoting adherence to treatment.

She identified a persistent cough lasting more than two weeks, unexplained weight loss, and night sweats as symptoms requiring medical evaluation, and urged residents not to let fear of stigma or breaches of confidentiality discourage them from seeking care, assuring them that health workers were trained to handle cases confidentially. She stressed that tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment were free.

Benita called for expanding health insurance coverage beyond the formal sector to include poor and vulnerable Nigerians. She also advocated protecting primary healthcare funding against misappropriation and sustaining health education across all wards.

She further condemned gender-based violence, including domestic abuse, rape, early and forced marriages, female genital cutting and killings, urging residents to speak out against such practices.

“Addressing these challenges requires robust action, political leadership and scaling up of evidence-based interventions like Community-Led Monitoring,” she said.