By Nahum Sule, Jalingo
The Association of Civil Society Organizations in Malaria Control, Immunization, and Nutrition (ACOMIN) State Advocacy Team has called for urgent intervention by the Taraba State Government and development partners to address gaps in health service delivery in communities such as Angwan Dampar, Rimi Uku II Ward, Ibi LGA.
During routine advocacy visits on August 12, 2025, the team engaged with the State Ministry of Health and the State TB and Leprosy Control Programme to advocate for closing identified gaps in TB and malaria control.
Key issues raised included low awareness of health interventions due to the absence of Interpersonal Communication (IPC) activities for malaria control, leaving many residents unaware of government- and donor-funded malaria prevention and treatment services. The community also reported delays in TB diagnosis caused by expired Truenat cartridges at the First Referral Hospital in Ibi LGA, resulting in prolonged delays in TB test results, which hinders early detection and treatment.
In response, Mallam Dahiru Zakari, State Health Educator, pledged to deploy local health education staff, activate ward-level health sensitization activities, and deliver targeted awareness campaigns on AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Dr. Dauda Nkyareide, the State Programme Manager for TB Control in Taraba State, committed to replacing the expired Truenat cartridges by November, reducing TB result turnaround time, and supplying additional TB testing equipment to general hospitals next week.
ACOMIN serves as a vendor under Catholic Relief Services, the primary recipient of the Global Fund CLM-ATM project, which is the community component of the GC7 Grant.
