‘Non-release of funds, killing HIV positive persons’

The National Coordinator of NEPWHAN, Edward Ogenyi who made this known at a press briefing at the weekend said that the HIV/AIDS response was suffering a set back with several donors already redrawing their funds thereby making it difficult to sustain the programme as several of its members were dying or some in critical condition.According […]

The National Coordinator of NEPWHAN, Edward Ogenyi who made this known at a press briefing at the weekend said that the HIV/AIDS response was suffering a set back with several donors already redrawing their funds thereby making it difficult to sustain the programme as several of its members were dying or some in critical condition.
According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidential Comprehensive Response Plan (PCRP) launched in July 2013 was to be implemented with N140 billion but so far under N8 billion was appropriated but not released under the SURE-P.
His words: “The PCRP aims to avail 80 million Nigerians the knowledge of their HIV status; enrol an additional 600,000 eligible adults and children on ART; provide ART for 244,000 HIV pregnant women for prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT); and  provide access to combination prevention services for 500,000 most at risk populations (MARPs).
He added that due to the non-release of funds to finance the response, they, as a network, have witnessed an increasing number of morbidity and mortality due to the inability of their members to access antiretroviral drugs, with six dying in Rivers State alone and other states also witnessing deaths.
Director General of NACA,  Professor John Idoko, in an interview also confirmed that N8 billion was appropriated which is not adequate to meet all the targets of the national response.
Earlier, the National Public Relations Officer of NEPWHAN, Samaila Garba, noted that the withdrawal of funds by donors in Nigeria has left a negative mark on persons living with the virus. He explained that in most states, there are no test kits to do the HIV tests, while there were no funds to monitor those on the drugs or put more on the drugs.