Abia State Commissioner for Health Dr Joe Osuji said the state has in the last 14 months partnered with the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFNG) achieved 82.8% HIV Treatment Current (TX CURR) and 98% suppression rate.
He made this known when
The Stakeholder Forum that featured the official launch of the Accelerated Control of HIV Epidemic and Sustainability Solution (ACCESS) project in Umuahia, the state capital.
He said that after the good performance of CCFNG, the country has done well for 14 months and achieved a Treatment Current (TX CURR) of 48,288 (82.8% Treatment Saturation) with 71% Viral Load Coverage and 98% Suppression Rate.
However, he said “CCFNG got the opportunity to operate on the existing structured HIV/AIDS platform set by the state government through the Ministry of Health and implemented a large-scale community incentive drive that brought the program to the rural and hard-to-reach areas of the country. .
He also said that before 2021, many implementing partners are supporting the country and listed two namely; FHI and the Federal Government through the National Agency for AIDS Control (NACA) through funding from the Global Fund.
The Commissioner who asked for more cooperation with the CCFNG in line with the tripartite agreement, added that the Ministry of Health of the country in June 2021 trained 40 Doctors, 40 Pharmacists, 40 Laboratory Scientists and 60 Nurses and Midwives on the delivery of Differential Services with a focus on Community ART and the Community Pharmacy Model to ensure easy access to treatment.
According to the Commissioner, the state will also in 2022 inaugurate a 30-member team for the Integrated Specimen Referral Network that will visit 14 Facilities/Hubs, make a Budget in the APBN, create partnerships with 133 Private Laboratory Owners.
CCFNG Executive Director Pdt. Father Uche Obodoechina who challenged Nigerian leaders to work for the welfare of the people, assured that through the ACCESS Project, Nigeria will be provided with the continuous strategic implementation of the organization’s goals with the support of the American government.
ACCESS Project Director Dr. Amana Effiong who said that the five-year ACCESS Project that starts in October 2022, to speed up the fight against HIV, said that emphasis will be added to provide anti-retroviral drugs, more free tests, HIV medical outreach in the interior. , training more health workers, providing test kits, increasing awareness campaigns etc.
It was gathered that the HIV prevalence rate in the country has dropped to 1.7% from the previous 2.1%.