By Sarah NEGEDU
As benefiting countries grapple with their new realities following the United States’ decision to terminate funding for most intervention programmes, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has vowed to develop strategies to maintain the current HIV prevalence rate in Nigeria’s capital territory.
The Trump administration in January, issued an Executive Order permanently cutting over 90 percent of US Agency for International Development, USAID, grants including the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR.
To reduce the impact of this development, the FCT Administration recently inaugurated an Administrative and Technical Committee on HIV Response in the FCT.
The Mandate Secretary of the Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, while inaugurating the committee, charged them to come up with strategies that will not only maintain the current HIV prevalence rate in the FCT, but also prevent any increase.
The committee includes key officials such as the Director General of the FCT Hospitals Management Board, the Director of the Public Health Department, the Programme Manager of FCT Action for Control of AIDS, FACA, the FCT State Epidemiologist, the Director of Finance (HSES), and the FCT State AIDS Programme Coordinator, among others.
The committee have been tasked to amongst others, find solutions to ensure the continued supply of Anti-Retroviral Drugs, ARVDs, in the FCT, address gaps left by the withdrawal of support from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, which has been a major source of funding and technical assistance in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
As a proactive body under the FCT Administration, the newly inaugurated committee will work tirelessly to implement measures that sustain the current HIV prevalence rate and prevent a surge in the FCT.
