Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, has commended the United States government for working with the government to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the state.
Also, the United States (US) Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, said the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) administered by the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), US Department of Defence, and US Agency for International Development (USAID) is implementing an Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) surge programme in Rivers to identify and provide treatment to approximately 180,000 People living with HIV (PLHIV), who have not previously received such.
The two leaders spoke at the Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday, during a meeting on the promotion of the health of Rivers people.
Wike said: “I want to thank the United States government for working with the Rivers State government to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
“I thank the US government for recognising the contributions of the Rivers State government in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”
Wike assured the US government that his administration would continue to fund programmes that would reduce the prevalence of the healthcare challenge.
“We will continue to work for the reduction of HIV/AIDS in the state. We are glad we are partners with the US government. For us, health is key. Education is key. With education, you can talk to people on measures to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
“At present, with the support of the US government, we are running 115 sites to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS,” he said.
He said the health programmes of the state government has yielded results, as the immunisation statistics of the state has moved from 54 percent to 82 percent.
Governor Wike thanked the US government for insisting that votes count in Rivers State during the last elections.
He said the US government ensured democracy survived in the country, despite the fact that it came under threat.
Wike recently announced that Rivers government would pay the user-fees for people living with HIV in the state to access free treatment.
In his remarks, Symington disclosed the US government’s $75 million budget increase for HIV control activities in Nigeria, with about $25 million allocated for the ART surge activities.
Symington thanked Wike for announcing his intent to eliminate user-fees for PLHIV.
He added that the US delegation was in Rivers to advocate elimination of user-fees for people living with HIV, antenatal care charges for pregnant women living with the virus, and other barriers hindering PLHIV from accessing health services.
The ambassador emphasised Governor Wike’s pronouncement served as an example to other states and the Federal Government to eliminate such user-fees.
Ambassador Symington, who paid a similar visit to Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, on August 19, said: “The United States remains committed to supporting Nigeria as it works to reduce and ultimately eliminate the scourge of HIV/AIDS among its people.”
He noted the increased funding to make anti-retrovirals available would enable more people living with HIV to lead healthy, productive lives until the day a cure for the virus is found.
The ambassador noted that disbursement of the additional PEPFAR HIV funds were contingent upon Nigerian federal and state governments reducing or eliminating financial barriers to PLHIV access to services, in particular, fees charged by healthcare facilities for non-essential services or those already provided by PEPFAR.