Provide leadership in TB fight, MPs told

IT IS the role of Parliamentarians to provide leadership in the Tuberculosis response at national, regional and global level, Deputy Speaker of National Assembly Mwimba Malama has said.

Mr Malama said TB was a global threat which required concerted efforts at national level, therefore urged Zambian Parliamentarian Caucus on Tuberculosis to seriously take up the challenges as they join parliamentarians from around globe in advocating for the end of tuberculosis.

Speaking during the launch of the Zambia National Tuberculosis Caucus in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Malama was confident that the Zambian parliamentarians would work tirelessly to ensure that more funding was sourced and directed towards the fight against TB. Mr Malama is impressed that the network has grown from an initial meeting of 10 parliamentarians to a global organisation with support from 2,600 parliamentarians in more than 30,000 countries.

The Caucus was therefore a unique global network which is meant to end the tuberculosis epidemic, he added.

Mr Malama said the Parliamentarian Caucus was aimed at transforming the response to Tuberculosis through targeted interventions at national, regional, continental and global levels.

He said the creation of the Zambian Chapter of the Tuberculosis Caucus was therefore of utmost importance because it provided an opportunity to the Zambian parliamentarians to join the rest of the world to fight end Tuberculosis.

He expressed sadness that despite TB being curable so many people from the constituencies had died from TB.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya said Zambia had made progress in fighting Tuberculosis through political will exhibited key policy pronouncements.

And African Regional TB Caucus Chairperson Kenyan MP Stephen Mule said there was need to find solution to fight TB.

Mr Mule said MPs being policy makers had the mandate to educate people on the dangers of TB hence voters should also participate in ending TB.

And South African song bird who is United Nations Goodwill ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka said the continent had continued recording a high number of people dying from TB, further urging parliamentarians to represent voters in parliament fully.