NAIROBI, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Multinational pharmaceutical firms should lower the cost of medicines to help end the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic in Africa, a lawmaker said on Friday.
Stephen Mule, chair of African Parliamentary TB Caucus, told a health forum in Nairobi that the cost for treating multi-drug-resistant TB remains beyond the reach of most patients in Africa.
"We are urging the drug manufacturers to lower cost of medicines so that Africa can make progress toward ending the TB epidemic," Mule said told a preparatory meeting for the upcoming United Nations high-level meeting on universal health coverage.
He said Africa is home to most of the high-burden TB countries globally.
"The continent is also perceptible to TB due to the high prevalence of HIV," Mule said.
The lawmaker also decried the high dependence on foreign funding to combat TB.
"Governments should prioritize investments in health because of the positive ripple effects on all socioeconomic indicators," Mule said.
According to the Kenyan parliamentarian, the continent should also scale up domestic funding for TB fight.
"With adequate funding and health personnel, Africa can eradicate the disease by the year 2030," he said.
New models of financing health care systems in Africa should be adopted given the resource constraints experienced by most governments, Mule said.
