The Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, has solicited the support of the federal and state governments for more research to curb the HIV/AIDS scourge in the country. The Association made the call in Abuja last Friday in a statement to commemorate the 2017 World HIV/AIDS Day.
The group expressed delight that there was remarkable reduction on the outbreak of the disease and noted that more support was needed for the research to further improve on the current available treatment plans. It pointed out that more research on the causes of the disease would assist in the prevention, treatment and control activities.
Globally, there are about 34 million people living with HIV and Nigeria alone accounts for about 10% of this population. As at July 2017, of the 3.4 million HIV-positive Nigerians, only 58,000 of them were being treated by the federal government of Nigeria. There still exists a gap of about 2.4 million people to be put on treatment.
When the Olusegun Obasanjo administration declared free comprehensive HIV care for 250,000 Nigerians in 2006, the largest rollout in Africa, the nation cheered in appreciation. This policy came with free Laboratory monitoring with Viral Loads test at many centers, ART drugs made available at no cost, there was nothing like consultation fees and there was a large chunk of drugs for management of opportunistic infections coupled with robust clinical care from very competent and willing healthcare workers.
As it is now, many people living with HIV in Nigeria now pay for their laboratory monitoring in some facilities. This has caused many of them to miss appointment and proper follow-up. Reflecting on the theme for the 2017 World AIDS Day, which is, “My Health, My Right”, the NMA strongly recommended that treatment of HIV should be free, comprehensive, qualitative and accessible all over the country. This way the nation would start to regain already lost grounds and consolidate the progress already made. In working towards this, the federal government should take its rightful place in the collaborative effort by leading the whole process.
