By Emily Eghosa
The Edo State Agency for the Control of Aids (EDOSACA) in collaboration with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has paid a Monitoring and Evaluation visit to the Ministry of Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs, which is one of the development and implementing partners of the State’s Gender and Human Rights State Response Team (GHR-SRT) in the State.
The purpose of the visit was to align its vision and goal for persons living with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS.
The visit which took place at the Ministry had the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, EdoSACA, Mr Oguta Amidu; and the Deputy Director, Head of Gender, Human rights, Care and Support Services, NACA, Dr Yinka Falola-Anoemuah, who was accompanied by the Senior Program Officer, NACA South South Zone, Mr Esor Fabian.
Welcoming the guests, the Director of Humanitarian Affairs, Mrs Joy Izegaegbe, commended the EdoSACA and NACA crew for their commitment and drive towards eradicating AIDS by the year 2030.
She pledged the ministry’s continued support in ensuring that people living with HIV/AIDS are well cared for while deploying all avenues to create proper awareness on how to manage the HIV virus.
Expressing the need for a synergy between the Ministry of Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs and EdoSACA to enable them work effectively in caring for people living with HIV/AIDS, especially as they have low immunity, the Deputy Director, Head of Gender, Human rights, Care and Support Services, NACA, Dr Yinka Falola-Anoemuah, emphasized the need for the Humanitarian Affairs Department to assist in making sure proper measures are put in place to ensure HIV infected persons get medications, ease of movement (relocation), food, special care and other resources.
According to her, the Humanitarian Department is expected to assist in empowering this vulnerable population amongst who are infected children, women, young widows and other persons.
She also pointed out the need for people to be aware of the danger of stigmatization as most young people do not identify or disclose their HIV-positive status and as a result, the virus develops to full-blown AIDS, which is the ailment that comes from not managing the HIV virus.
Dr Falola-Anoemuah stated that in Nigeria, over two million people are estimated to be living with the virus. She emphasized the need for proper data collection and the monitoring of the numbers of persons living with HIV.
She further said that various agencies and ministries are working with NACA and SACA to drive the ultimate goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
Falola-Anoemuah harped on the need for data analysis and optimum awareness of the care and management of HIV to further strengthen the support from global partners who are funding HIV treatment to reduce the burden on government.
She warned that any withdrawal of funding from foreign partners as a result of poor records and data will make treatment difficult as the government alone cannot handle the funding of the program.
In his summation, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, EdoSACA, Mr Oguta Amidu, noted that in Edo State over 27,542 people living with HIV are on drugs while those infected and living without medication are estimated to be about 50,000 persons. This, he maintained, is because a number of them are elusive.
