Federal Government Reiterates Commitment To Improving Nigerians’ Health
The Federal Government is restating its commitment to improving the health of Nigerians.
Mr. Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made this known during the sixth National Council on AIDS in Abuja and stated that the government would continue to confront and address challenges affecting HIV services that constitute a key barrier to accessing HIV treatment.
While being represented by Dr. Nnamdi Mbaeri, the permanent secretary of the General Services Office, OSGF, Mr. Mustapha reaffirmed the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to ending HIV, saying that it was reinforced by placing an additional 50,000 persons on treatment annually. He further added that the government would continue to finance the treatment of the additional 50,000 persons. He made notice that governments at sub-national levels were variously evolving innovative approaches to sustainable health financing, including health insurance.
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He also explained that government would continue to encourage HIV/AIDS services in order to demonstrate ownership and assurance to sustainable HIV response. He mentioned that the Federal Government, through the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) collaborated itself with the organised private sector and recently launched a N62 billion private sector-driven HIV/AIDS Trust Fund.
Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health, stated that the world has made and recorded great improvements in HIV prevention, treatment and care over the last two decades due to strengthened global and regional response to the scourge.
Dr. Ehanire, who was being represented by Dr. Alex Okoh, explained that this development has led to reduction in the number of new infections across the world. He, however, expressed his concern over the rate of new infections amongst youths and infants born to HIV positive women, especially in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The minister said that the goals that no child in Nigeria should be born HIV positive and zero new infections informed the theme for this year’s National Council on AIDS: “Innovative Approaches toward HIV Epidemic Control and Programme Sustainability at State Level.”
He commended the stakeholders and partners for their collaboration toward controlling the spread of the virus, especially the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Global Fund, Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the private sector. According to him, the National AIDS Indicator and Impact Study (NAIIS) in 2018 rebased the HIV epidemic in Nigeria, resulting in HIV prevalence reduction from 3.4 per cent to 1.3 per cent.
