NACA to provide HIV treatment at primary health care centres

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS said in an effort to tackle HIV and AIDS, it would make available its treatment at the Primary Health Care centres.

The Director General of the agency, Prof. John Idoko, said this on Tuesday in Abuja when the United States of America’s President, Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Adult Treatment Technical Working Group, paid him an advocacy visit.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that Idoko said, “The grass roots will be strengthened by making use of existing primary health care centres to provide HIV counselling, testing and treatment.

“I believe that when HIV is perceived as any other disease, the stigma will reduce,” Idoko said.

He said the country needed a holistic approach on HIV and AIDS in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

In his speech, Mr. Tedd Ellerbroch, Co-chair of the working group, urged the government to provide a package of care at the PHC that would include diagnosis of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis treatment.

Ellerbroch said that PEPFAR would work with the Ministry of Health, NACA and other ministries to scale up programme that would enhance PHC units in the country.

“There should be a package of care provided at the primary health care unit that includes diagnosis and treatment of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis,” he said.

Launched in 2003 by President George W. Bush, PEPFAR holds a place in history as the largest effort by any nation to combat a single disease.

In the first five years of the programme, PEPFAR focused on establishing and scaling up prevention, care and treatment programmes.

It achieved success in expanding access to HIV prevention, care and treatment in low-resource settings.

During its first phase, PEPFAR supported the provision of treatment to more than two million people, care to more than 10 million people, including more than four million orphans and vulnerable children, and prevention of mother-to-child treatment services during nearly 16 million pregnancies.
Source: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101110103721