Stakeholders on Wednesday unveiled ‘OneImpact’, a digital platform to provide comprehensive community empowerment, community engagement, and community-led monitoring of tuberculosis (TB) response.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, Dr. Chukwuma Anyaike, Coordinator of, the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme (NTBLCP), said that the ”OneImpact” is an intervention that would transform the national TB response in the country so that it is rights-based, gender-transformative and people-centered.
Anyaike said that the intervention would build a better understanding of the links between human rights and TB so that duty bearers and rights holders understand their respective responsibilities and rights.
“Using technology, OneImpact will help develop an accountability mechanism to trigger action and enhance responsibility in the TB response in the country,” he said.
He said that the intervention would rely on the continued engagement of affected communities to monitor the TB response.
The data generated by communities, he said, will strengthen the TB monitoring and evaluation system, improves community advocacy, and informs and supports the evaluation of programmatic interventions so that barriers can be overcome, and Nigerians can be reached with essential TB services.
He said that putting people at the heart of the TB response is critical to ending TB.
“Every year, health systems miss millions of people affected by TB because of barriers to health services, human rights violations, stigma, and a lack of access to support services,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr. Daniel Amokachi, a former Nigerian former professional footballer said that TB-related stigma has been identified as a major obstacle to patients seeking medical care and completing a full course of treatment.
Amokachi said that he understands how people living with TB feel.
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He said TB stigma puts lives at risk and unless it ends, TB would not end.
He called on the government at all levels to strengthen community TB interventions that overcome barriers to accessing quality TB services, increase community and civil society engagement and improve the impact of national TB programs at all levels.
Giving a presentation on OneImpact implementation, Mrs. Deborah Ikeh, Executive DirectorDebriche Health Development Centre (DHDC), said that the platform is a digital alert system that can be used by people and communities affected by TB to track and troubleshoot issues related to the availability and accessibility of quality TB services.
Ikeh said that the technology, developed in partnership with community partners, has an integrated feedback loop mechanism to inform communities and TB programs of current gaps for them to rapidly respond and ensure the continuity of quality TB services for the people and communities affected by TB.
“In response, OneImpact is a digital platform made up of three tools that work together to provide a comprehensive community empowerment, community engagement, and community-led monitoring solution that puts people at the heart of the TB response.
“In pursuit of this goal, OneImpact Contract lifecycle management (CLM) aims to empower people affected by TB with information, ways to engage and report TB challenges, as they relate to:
Barriers to TB health services, Human rights violations, TB stigma, and Barriers to TB support services.,” she said.
She said that the Multi-sectoral response teams would subsequently mobilize to address and overcome these TB challenges at local and programmatic levels.
She said that it’s a downloadable mobile application for people affected by TB: It provides people affected by TB with information on TB, their rights, and TB care and support services.
She said it also provides spaces for people affected by TB to connect virtually and to report challenges for a rapid response and resolution.
