By Rachel Kakraba
The National Tuberculosis Control Programme has renewed calls for persons receiving tuberculosis (TB) treatment to strictly adhere to their treatment regimen in order to be cured of the disease. It warned that defaulting on medication could significantly increase the risk of drug-resistant TB, which is more challenging and costly to treat.
The Deputy Programme Manager of the National TB Control Programme of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Rita Frimpong, made the point during a two-day training workshop on drug-resistant TB in the Greater Accra Region.
The workshop was organised by the Ghana National TB Voice Network (GNTBVN) and the Challenge Facility for Civil Society (CFCS), which are key players in Ghana’s efforts to combat TB, with support from the Global Fund.
The workshop brought together stakeholders in the health sector, TB champions, civil society organisations and journalists to deepen understanding of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB). It also equipped participants, particularly TB champions who are survivors of DR-TB, with the knowledge and skills needed to support community engagement and reporting.
Dr Frimpong explained that DR-TB occurs when TB organisms become resistant to the basic TB medications.
“So once we test and realise that the organism in you is not responding to the basic TB medicine, we say that you are resistant, so we call you a drug-resistant TB case. But let me say, some people may get drug-resistant TB from a source that is drug-resistant TB. So if a mother has drug-resistant TB and infects the child, the child will get direct drug-resistant TB from the mother.”
Dr Frimpong cautioned that a person initially diagnosed with drug-susceptible tuberculosis, which usually responds to first-line medications, can later develop drug-resistant TB if treatment is not properly followed.
“However, somebody may be diagnosed with drug-susceptible TB, meaning that person had the TB organism that was responsive to the basic TB medications, but because the person did not, one, take the medication regularly, or two, the dosage of medication that health workers gave to the person was not the right dosage for the weight.”
She reminded the public that although tuberculosis is still prevalent, consistent and collective action can lead to its elimination.
“TB is still around, we have not eliminated TB yet, and if you take any district, out of a hundred thousand people, 124 of them will have TB, so we have to screen more for TB. When we give attention to TB in the media, in the civil society space, everybody will get to hear about it and we will find the cases.”
She reiterated that TB is curable, hence the need to end stigmatisation against persons affected by the disease.
The National Coordinator of the Ghana National TB Voice Network, Jerry Amoah-Larbi, said Ghana’s fight against tuberculosis continues to face significant challenges, as thousands of infectious cases remain undetected and untreated.
He mentioned that although the National TB Control Programme has, in recent years, improved case detection from below 15,000 to about 20,000 annually, the country is still falling far short of its estimated target of 45,000 cases, leaving a worrying gap of roughly 25,000 people unknowingly spreading the disease in public spaces such as markets, churches and sports stadia.
Mr Amoah-Larbi called for stronger government commitment to sustain national TB programmes, warning that the country’s heavy dependence on donor support poses a serious risk to disease-control efforts.
“When you talk about TB, in terms of even the Ghana Health Service, it’s 95 per cent donor-funded from the Global Fund. Apart from the Global Fund, the Government of Ghana’s commitment is very, very low. Other countries are transitioning from the Global Fund and very soon Ghana will not be exempted. We’re encouraging the government to take action now and make sure that we put in place the necessary funding to support TB case-finding and notification.”
Ghana’s TB situation
From January to October 2025, Ghana recorded about 17,000 tuberculosis cases, with about 700 children — representing 4.2 per cent — diagnosed with TB.
Conclusion
TB is curable, and in Ghana, testing, diagnosis and treatment are free. Persons who experience a cough of any duration are encouraged to seek medical attention.
