Total Group gives free HIV/AIDS screening, tuberculosis, malaria preventive education in Onitsha

… Trains 22 peer educators
No fewer than 10, 000 persons have been screened for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by the Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria and Total Nigeria PLC in partnership with Nigeria Business Against AIDS (NIBUCAA) in Onitsha, Anambra state.

However, 22 persons have been trained from Total Service Station, as Peer Educators on basic facts on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria. They were drawn from 10 service stations in Onitsha to continue with the exercise even after the end of the two weeks’ screening period.

In his key note address at the official inauguration of the programme in Onitsha recently, the Managing Director of Total Nigeria PLC, Mr. Jean Phillipe-Torres; and Managing Director of Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria, represented by Executive Director (Strategy), Dr. Jeff Nnamani, said that the programme was part of the companies’ social responsibility.

He said that the exercise commenced since 2006; adding that it has gone through 20 states across the country, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, saying that free VCT has been deployed to various locations across Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi, Ekwuluobia and Ihiala in Anambra, since May 15, to end on May29, 2017.

According to Nnamani, “Total group in Nigeria with her partners-NNPC/NAPIMS-over the past 11 years, has consistently made concerted effort under the Public, Private Partnership (PPP) initiative aimed at responding to the HIV /AIDS pandemic in Nigeria. The Total Group is committed to positively impact the lives of Nigerians, through health education on preventive measure and awareness’ creation on HIV/AIDS’ management.”

He said, “Our fight against HIV/AIDS is to protect our host communities, employees, families, organizations and society at large from the infection. This initiative has been adopted by the Total Group as an essential component of our Group’s Sustainable Development policy’ and has been fully integrated into our global strategy.”

He said, “For us, the watchword is prevention, which is far less expensive and less complicated than cure. Today, the only known cure for HIV/AIDS is prevention. In the light of this, we are confident that with consistent efforts geared towards prevention, we can, indeed, have a near HIV/AIDS-free society.”

The Acting Executive Secretary, Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCCA) Mr. Gbenga Alabi in his address, said he was happiness to have forged a synergy with Total Group since 2006, to help in achieving the lofty goals for which the body was set up.

He said that the world, in the last three decades, had been challenged by the HIV/AIDS, which is a public health issue that has threatened and still threatening the fundamentals of human development, especially in developing countries, such as, Nigeria. 

Alabi said that since the first incidence of the pandemic, an estimated 78 million people have become infected with HIV and 35 million people have died of AIDS-related illnesses, saying that the current HIV prevalence in Nigeria was 3.0%.

“This is the second visit to Anambra state; my first visit was in 2013, when three automated laboratory equipment (CD four machines, semi-chemistry analyzer and semi-hematology analyzer) were donated to Aliyi-Enugu Mission Hospital, Ogidi, which is now a comprehensive treatment centre,” Alabi said.

He said, “This year project is keying into the United Nations 90-90-90 strategy aimed at providing opportunity for people to know their HIV status. You may not believe it, but around 40 per cent of the people with HIV are unaware of their infection. The only way to determine a persons’ HIV status, is for him/her to have an HIV test.”

The representatives of the Petroleum Investment Management Service, (NAPIMS), Ms. Mena Ogor; and Anambra state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike, commended Total Group for the project geared towards preventing HIV/ AIDS and other diseases from spreading.

The highpoint of the programme, was the presentation of the 22 trained Peer Educators of the Total stations with the certificates and cultural dance and drama presentation on HIV/AIDS.