President Muhammadu Buhari has raised concerns over a
report which states that “almost a million Nigerians living with HIV are
currently not on treatment” under the national HIV programme.
Speaking
at the presentation of results of the Nigeria HIV/Aids Indicator &
Impact Survey (NAIIS) 2018 on Thursday in Abuja, the president noted
that it couldn’t have come at a better time.
He stated that with
the data, his administration would commence full implementation of the
National Health Act which will ensure that every Nigerian has access to
comprehensive health services.
“The official HIV prevalence for
persons aged 15-49 years in Nigeria is now 1.4 per cent. An estimated
1.9 million Nigerians are now living with HIV with about one million
persons on treatment.
“However, we cannot celebrate yet, as almost
a million Nigerians living with HIV are currently not on treatment. Now
we have data that will help us target for impact.”
“The Nigeria
AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey and its results have come at the right
time as we commence the full implementation of the National Health Act
that will ensure that every Nigerian has access to comprehensive health
services,” he assured.
The President also called on the Nigerian
private sector to provide funds for HIV/AIDS-related activities to
support the efforts of the government.
“I also welcome the move by
the Nigerian private sector to establish a National HIV Trust Fund in
the coming months to support our goal of ensuring that all Nigerians
have access to high-quality HIV treatment and prevention services. If we
are to achieve epidemic control and end AIDS in Nigeria, we need a more
coordinated and funded national response,” he said.
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