… Establishes 196 HIV Test Centres

Following the inauguration of the Rivers State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (RIVSACA), about 196 HIV test centres have been established in the state.

Aside that, the agency has equally set up Local Agency for the Control of AIDS (LACA) in the 23 local government areas as about 87 health centres in the state now has free voluntary test centres.

The development was made public by the agency’s Community Mobilization Manager, Mrs Grace Ebere, at a one-day workshop on Word Development and Information Day organized by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Port Harcourt yesterday.

Mrs Ebere disclosed that the body has evolved a multicultural approach in tackling the pandemic as it plans to scale up the inclusion and participation of government ministries, departments and agency’s from nine to 20 in the next few months.

The essence of the policy, Mrs. Ebere asserted, “is to ensure that they include the issue of HIV/AIDS in their budget and programmes”.

She added that, “is to increase contact with Civil Society Organisations and groups and to reach out to the grassroots”.

The RIVSACA Manager lamented the problem of stigmatization of HIV/AIDS carriers saying that the agency has instituted LACA to curb the malaise in the local areas.

In order to encourage People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWAS) to make a living despite their condition, she said the body plans to provide them with soft loans to reduce their trauma.

As part of effort to combat the high incidence of stigmatisation the RIVSACA Manager said plans are in top gear to enforce discriminatory laws noting that , “we have the laws but the implementation is the problem”.

Earlier  in her presentation, “HIV/AIDS as a Development Issue” Programme Manager of Hope World Nigeria, Mrs Bunmi Adetola calledthe populace to go for voluntary tests to ascertain their HIV/AIDs status.

Mrs Adetola said unchecked AIDS pandemic ravages the working population, reduces cross domestic product and drives away foreign investors thereby affecting the economy negatively.

With people knowing your HIV status, Mrs Adetola believed it would promote healthier living among the populace and reduce the problem of stigmatization, noting that an all encompassing effort is needed to check the malaise.

Gift Akpan