Bukola Afeni
Health sector stakeholders are urging the Federal and State Governments to harness the power of data and innovation to bridge equity gaps and drive significant progress in HIV management in Nigeria.
Dr. Jerry Gwamna, Deputy Director for Programs at the Division of Global HIV & TB, CDC, made this call at the CDC Nigeria 5th Biannual Stakeholders Engagement Meeting in Abuja.
He highlighted the need for leveraging data-driven solutions to strengthen HIV management, particularly for vulnerable populations like children, who are still being left behind in the program .
“We want to improve health outcomes among People Living With HIV/Aids, and also increase coverage among children less than 10 years.
“By embracing innovation and data analytics, we will improve health outcomes, reduce disparities, and ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against HIV’, Gwamna said.
In the same vein, he advocated for strengthened HIV management through effective engagement with stakeholders at the community level.
Gwamna further highlighted that HIV should be integrated into other health systems for effective coordination.
“Stakeholders should ensure that services are made available in informal sector and we need to streamline treatment protocols, and ensure effective tasks sharing procedure “.
The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Temitope Ilori said government is working to sustain the HIV national response beyond 2030.
While stating that it is important for government to integrate HIV response into national government structures and take full ownership.
“This process can be done in phases, we have the problematic phase, we have the financial phase, where we are going to put structures down to actually ensure that HIV response is no longer medicalized but rather integrated into the national mandated government structures.”
She further expressed optimism about Nigeria’s progress in combating HIV/AIDS. “I am optimistic that Nigeria will get there. We are on the right path because we are not doing this alone.
“NACA’s efforts have been bolstered by support from the US government and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), including an ongoing grant to ensure sustainability at federal and sub-national levels”, Ilori emphasized
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, emphasized the importance of rigorous ethical trials for new medical interventions, particularly in the fight against HIV.
“New interventions must go through proper ethical processes of trials, including animal studies, phase one, two, three human studies, and regulatory approval,” Abayomi explained.
He said NACA plays a pivotal role in evaluating new treatments in HIV/Aids treatment and prevention.
“Once NACA is satisfied that a drug has no adverse potential to our indigenous community, it will pass through the health agency and then we can start rollout in Nigeria,” he added.
Abayomi acknowledged the cost implications of new treatments but emphasized the reliance on research support and donor funding to make them accessible.
Looking ahead, Abayomi expressed optimism about the simplification of HIV management.
“We are very encouraged that if we can get to the point where we are just giving the patient one injection that is renewable every six months, that’s so simple, so easy.”
He underscored the critical role of treatment in prevention.
“Treatment is a very important part of prevention. When you are treating a patient for HIV, you are reducing the burden of the virus in their body, and once you reduce the burden of the HIV virus in their body, their chances of transmitting it are significantly reduced.”
Abayomi referred to this strategy as “Treatment to Prevent. “
We treat, we reduce the burden, and it’s less likely to give it to someone else, including children.”
