Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Ministry of Health and Social Services has revealed that it will not renew the contracts of about 197 tuberculosis (TB) field workers countrywide, due to a lack of available funding.
The Global Fund (GF) has been supporting the country in its fight against HIV-AIDS, TB and malaria through the provision of renewable grants since 2006.
TB field promoters were employed as casual workers who facilitated treatment for TB patients, referrals for diagnosis, TB contact tracing, symptom screening, collecting sputum samples, as well as informing and educating the community.
Executive director in the ministry of health Ben Nangombe told The Namibian yesterday that due to declining funding and the reluctance of external funders to support human resources, TB field workers were only catered for by the GF until December 2021.
This was communicated to the field workers last year, said Nangombe.
“The discontinued funding of TB promoters affects activities in all regions. Namibia has made great progress in the fight to end TB, and field promoters have been crucial in this fight. The ministry is exploring options and possibilities to secure funding and sustainable ways to ensure the continuation of this programme,” he said.
He assured the field workers that the human resource and finance departments are working to ensure those affected by the discontinuation of funding will receive the benefits due to them.
“The current GF grant which runs from 2020 to 2023 will continue to fund all the other activities,” Nangombe said.
However, some of the 16 field workers in the Zambezi region who spoke to The Namibian last week, said they feel unappreciated and betrayed by the health ministry.
They assert that they sacrificed their health during the Covid-19 pandemic by working under difficult and dangerous conditions, and question why they were issued uniforms and equipment in November for the period from 2022 to 2023, when the ministry was aware of the funding issues.
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