The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has convened a high-level meeting in Lagos with 400 delegates from across the country to review how Nigeria can reform its HIV/AIDS control strategy in light of dwindling international donor funding.
The gathering is focused on developing a sustainable framework and new approaches to combating the disease without relying heavily on foreign assistance.
Speaking to the Newsmen during the event, the Kano State Coordinator of NACA, Dr. Usman Bashir, said the meeting brings together key stakeholders from the federal and state governments as well as other partners to design home grown solutions.
“This is a national summit involving the agency, the federal government, states, and other stakeholders nationwide. The theme this year is finding ways to rely on ourselves in tackling HIV/AIDS after major donor countries have withdrawn support,” Dr. Bashir explained.
According to him, Kano currently has about 33,000 people receiving treatment for HIV, though the actual number of people living with the virus in the state could be between 60,000 to 70,000.
“HIV treatment comes in three lines. International partners have been providing first- and second-line drugs, while the Kano State Government procures the less common but more expensive third-line treatment,” he said.
He further noted that providing medication to pregnant women living with HIV significantly reduces the risk of mother-to-child transmission.
However, Dr. Bashir’s remarks have raised concern among other stakeholders in the field, who fear that the withdrawal of foreign aid could seriously undermine HIV care in Nigeria.
In a separate interview with a popular Newspaper, Bashir Ismail, head of the Save Lives Sustainable and Counselling Initiative — an NGO supporting people living with HIV in Kano — expressed doubt about the government’s capacity to fully sustain treatment without donor assistance.
“We are not confident that the government can handle the needs of people living with HIV one hundred percent. The situation is growing daily, and contrary to the figure of 33,000 given by the coordinator, by December 2024, data showed that over 44,000 people were already on treatment in Kano,” Ismail said.
He also urged the government to monitor the distribution of HIV medications more closely, alleging that favouritism sometimes affects how the drugs are allocated, potentially undermining the fight against the disease.
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