Thought Leadership

125,000 people living with HIV are accessing antiretrovirals in Nigeria

1 Mins read

In 2001, the Nigerian Government government declared an ambitious national treatment antiretroviral target (the drug treatment for HIV/AIDS) to reach 100,000 people by 2003, scaling up to 250 000 by the end of 2006. The ambitious aim was to have 1 million people in treatment by 2009.

A recent report by the The Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria, a non government organization in Nigeria showed that there are currently 124,572 PLHAs accessing antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in various centres across the country. Although this means that the number of people on ART has multiplied ten fold since 2002 in Nigeria, but this represents only about one in five of the number who actually need the drugs.

The report also says that the delivery of ARVs response is still predominantly donor driven i.e most of the funds come from development partners.

Hardly any guidelines were found in centers delivering ARVs…implying a diversity of practice depending on the provider. Many sites lacked adequate space for counseling….and did not stock second line drugs for patients failing the first line drug combinations.

The full report can be found here.

The Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria aims to support and help to sustain Health Reform Agenda in the country. The origin of the Foundation was the Change Agent Programme (CAP) which was funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Last year it organised a conference on the state of health care in Nigeria. The report of this conference can be found here.

http://www.nigeriahealthwatch.com/

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has…Margaret Mead

Related posts
Thought Leadership

World UHC Day 2024: Nigeria’s Government Must Ensure Equitable Healthcare Access For Its Rural Dwellers

4 Mins read
Damian Duruiheoma (Guest Writer) One of the key issues of national concern — which any government would be concerned about, is the alarming number…
Thought Leadership

Boosting Country Coordination and Ownership for Lassa Fever Preparedness in West Africa

6 Mins read
Lead Writers: Ibukun Oguntola, Dr Aishat Usman, and Dr Virgil Lokossou Walking through the bustling streets of Owo, a small town in…
Thought Leadership

Theatre Meets Public Health: M/Other Tackles Maternal Mental Health in Nigeria

5 Mins read
Asari Ndem and Vivianne Ihekweazu (Lead writers) “If you can talk you can sing, if you can walk you can dance.” — Zimbabwean Proverb…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *