FG intensifies efforts to address mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS
The Federal Ministry of Health on Monday restated its commitment to scale up efforts on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS in the country.
Assistant Director, National AIDS Hepatitis and STI Control Programme of the ministry, Dr. Ijaodola Olugbenga, made this commitment during the documentary screening on prevention of mother-to-child transmission organised by a non-governmental organization, AIDS Health Care Foundation (AHF).
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The event was part of activities marking the 2020 International Women’s Day with theme: “Each for equal which focuses on safe motherhood with HIV.”
Olugbenga said the government has identified the prevention of mother-to child transmission of HIV response as a fundamental contributor to tackling the incidence of HIV and AIDS among children in the country.
According to him, the government is committed towards promoting the welfare of children and so it developed a programme called the prevention of mother-to child transmission capture plan.
He explained that the goal of the programme is to ensure that every pregnant woman at the facilities and communities were tracked and tested, while those who test positive get enrolled in the prevention of mother-to child transmission services.
“The recent survey by Nigeria National HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey 2018 gave the coverage of prevention of mother-to child transmission at 67 per cent, which means we still have about 33 per cent out there not captured in the programme.
“We have decided to engage the community by developing different types of frame work, policy document to see how we can engage all the stakeholders at the community level.
“We have started collaboration with our state counterparts. We want to develop a very good linkage between the community and the facilities to ensure they get adequate services across board,’’ he said.
Focal Officer, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Mr. Okoye Gedieon identified various efforts and intervention that has been put in place to ensure babies are born negative through the prevention of mother-to child transmission programme.
“Currently, we are taking intervention to communities, which was not so before. Previously, focus was more at the facility level, but we are beginning to reach out to them in their communities.
“This is because we have tools that are working. It is about getting people to understand the need for the services and advocacy to reduce barriers that prevent people from going to the facilities,” Gedieon said.
Gedieon however, identified some of the barriers which have hindered women from going to the facilities as attitude of healthcare workers, cost of HIV services and availability of test kits, among others.
He said that the government is working with stakeholders to address the challenges, while engaging traditional and religious leaders so they understand the importance of the services to the community.
