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The Lagos State Government wants about 60,000 people who tested positive to HIV/AIDS in the state but failed to return for treatment to be tracked for immediate anti-retroviral therapy.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made this known on Wednesday at the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) inauguration of the State’s HIV Consortium Group, featuring the formal dissemination of dis-aggregated Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS).
The Governor said the search for the individuals was to enable the state administer adequate treatment on them and prevent the spread of the virus as the individuals were not captured in the state’s HIV Response Database.
The key healthcare goals of Lagos State is to reduce the number of new HIV infections and help victims manage the trauma in line with best practice, said Sanwo-Olu.
“Lagos State Government and its partners have worked and sacrificed resources to achieve the level of awareness that have significantly changed the behaviour of our people. This is evidenced by the reduction in the prevalence rate which currently stands at 1.4 per cent,” he noted.
The approach being deployed, the Governor added, would be multi-sectoral and focused on improving the health system service delivery, scaling-up community response and maintaining sustained support of programmes.
He said: “This approach will concentrate on communities and their structures which have been at the forefront of the HIV response at the global, national and state levels; reaching out to people with prevention, care and support as well as treatment; promoting human rights and dealing with gender issues.”
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said Governor Sanwo-Olu has demonstrated “uncommon commitment” to supporting healthcare delivery, noting that the Sanwo-Olu administration became the first to commit 15 per cent of the State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to funding healthcare.
LSACA Director General, Dr. Monsurat Adeleke, said the synergy between the agency and the consortium group would help the State to track all the 60,000 individuals who tested positive to the virus by September 2020.
She listed the benefits of the consortium, saying: “The synergising of efforts will complement and support main donors in prevention, care and treatment. We will be able to harness multi-sectoral partnership for mobilisation of resources for HIV interventions within and outside health sector.”
Also, Consul-General of the United States (U.S.) in Lagos, Ms Claire Pierangelo, pledged continued support for the State’s HIV/AIDS response.
She said American government would collaborate with all stakeholders in ensuring greatest impact for those in need of antiretroviral therapy.
