Skip to main content

FG should take responsibility for treating Nigerians living with HIV— NEPHWAN

FG should take responsibility for treating Nigerians living with HIV— NEPHWAN

FG should take responsibility for treating Nigerians living with HIV— NEPHWAN

Says COVID-19 did not affect treatment in Lagos

By Chioma Obinna

Decades after the emergence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, the federal and state governments have been charged to take responsibility for treating Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS.

The call came as Nigeria marks this year’s World AIDS Day with the theme: “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Resilience and Impact”.

Meanwhile, the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, NEPHWAN, Lagos State branch has said that despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic across all sectors, people living with HIV/AIDS in the state had access to treatment courtesy of the Consortium formed by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

In a chat with Healthy Living, the State Coordinator of NEPHWAN, Mr Patrick Akpan, said the Nigerian government should prioritise the treatment of Nigerians living with the disease as they are citizens of the country and responsibility of the government.

READ ALSO: HIV/AIDS: Commercial sex workers say no condom, no sex

Akpan said though Nigeria was making progress towards achieving the 90-90-90 targets due to the support of funding partners, government failed to take the lead in the treatment of Nigerians.  “We should not expect someone from outside to be treating our people even if we will need their assistance and support, let it be that our government has done something tangible before the donor agencies will come in to support.

“For me, Nigerian government needs to do more in the area of budgeting.  Health should be given a higher budget and in particular, HIV, to ensure that all Nigerians affected are on treatment.

“The government has not done really well. The support Nigeria is giving to HIV/AIDS is not comparable to what the international bodies are giving to Nigeria. We had a pass mark of 70 percent due to the contribution of the donor agencies but for how long will that continue?

“I can say Nigeria is on track but though we have not really gotten to 90-90-90 targets we are saying let us achieve 90-90-90 before crossing over to 95-95-95. We are hoping that   Nigeria is moving towards achieving 90-90-90 but for now, we are not there yet.

“A lot of activities are on right now.   A lot of people have been placed on the drug in this 2020 even in the midst of COVID-19. Though the number may not be so big I believe that we are on course.”

Speaking on the impact of COVID-19 on HIV treatment, Akpan said PLWA in Lagos had access to treatment all through the lockdown to date.

He noted that in Lagos, there was no problem as regards access to HIV care because last year, the Lagos State Governor,  Babajide Sanwo-Olu formed an HIV Consortium that brought together all partners including NEPHWAN  and other stakeholders in the ministry, UNICEF, and UNAIDs and when COVID-19 came, the group was able to bridge the gap.

“As soon as we heard about the lockdown, we were able to mobilize to get their drugs from their hospitals. Some were given six months drugs, some three months and people that were on second-line drugs were given two months drugs.  That helped a lot.   So people that were not able to get to the facilities arrangement were made for drugs to be delivered to them.

“For instance, the Centre for Integrated Health Programme,  one of the funding partners in seven local government areas also gave  NEPHWAN support to ensure that we collect drugs. We were able to get access to the hospital to collect drugs for our members in the seven local governments of   Ibeju Lekki, Eti-osa,  Mushin, Ikeja, Alimosho,  Amuwo Odofin, and Ifako  Ijaye.

“In those seven Local government Areas, our people were on ground to ensure that all our members who needed drugs at that time were given drugs.   We also have PATA, an NGO that is PLWA- friendly; the Centre for Integrated Health Programme also contracted them. Clients were coming all over the state.  PATA tried that all the people who are accessing treatment in LUTH and all PLWAs in all the 20 Local government of Lagos States were given drugs via Coordinators and support groups.

“Before then, we were given online training on how to dispense the drugs and after which drugs were distributed to these coordinators who now gave to people in the communities. People were able to take their drugs without missing them.

“Even some PLWAs who were trapped in Lagos were given drugs. We were contacted and we were able to give them drugs.  I can remember a Chinese man who was trapped here in Lagos and we were able to give him drugs. He could not go back to China,” he narrated.

Vanguard News Nigeria

The post FG should take responsibility for treating Nigerians living with HIV— NEPHWAN appeared first on Vanguard News.


by Lawal Sherifat via Vanguard News https://ift.tt/36qVMeq Best Known Member of the Cabinet Wikipedia
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UPDATED: Nigeria’s coronavirus cases reach 1,728, fatalities 51

  By David Royal The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 196 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,728. NCDC also announced that seven more fatalities were recorded, bringing the total number of deaths to 51. The NCDC, in a tweet at about 11:55 p.m. on Wednesday, said the 196 new cases reported were; 87-Lagos, 24-Kano, 18-Gombe, 17-Kaduna, 16-FCT, 10-Katsina, 8-Sokoto, 7-Edo, 6-Borno, 1-Yobe, 1-Ebonyi, 1-Adamawa. The virus has spread to 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Yobe, according to NCDC report, is the most recent state to record COVID-19 case in the country. According to the agency, Nigeria now has 1,370 active cases recorded as of 11:55 p.m. on April 29, while 307 infected persons have been treated and discharged, with 51 deaths recorded. READ ALSO: US says remdesivir shows ‘clear-cut’ effect in treating coronavirus “On the 29th of April 2020, 196 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

COVID-19: Transporters ask FG to set up N20bn intervention fund for sector

By Theodore Opara   Hiace AS the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact on businesses across the country negatively, Inter State Transport operators in Nigeria under the umbrella of Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association, PTONA, has cried out to the Federal Government to set up a N20 billion COVID-19 intervention fund on a single digit loan of five percent interest to enable them to replenish their fleet. The association in a letter to Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Chairman Presidential Economic Sustainability Committee on COVID-19 pandemic also appealed to the Federal Government to grant its members 10 percent special concession on import duties on buses as against the present 35 percent duty being charged on imported buses. The association said the Federal Government should direct the Central Bank to prevail on all commercial banks to restructure terms of loan for businesses mostly affected by COVID-19 pandemic, especially the inter-state passenger transport. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Covid 19: Bowen University tasks government on post coronavirus fallout

By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo   THE Vice Chancellor of Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, has urged governments at different levels to prepare for the aftermath of coronavirus as he opined that life would not remain the same afterward. While alerting the government of the effect of the pandemic on the economy, he charged the people to brace up for the challenges post COVID-19 will pose for the society, especially in the area of human relation. READ ALSO: BRAIN DRAIN: Beyond minimum wage, give doctors welfare package — LAGOS NMA Ogunwole who disclosed to this while donating relief materials to the people of Iwo and Oluponna to cushion the effect of lockdown on the vulnerable residents of the towns, said the world would not remain the same as global economy would rely more on virtual interaction, hence, the masses must be prepared for the new reality. While noting that the school’s gesture was to support government’s efforts in alleviating the sufferings of ...
Post a Comment
Read more