210,000 Persons Living With HIV/AIDS In Rivers …As Wike Abolishes User-Fees

Not fewer than 210,000 persons are currently living with the dreaded HIV/AIDS in Rivers State, so says the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDCP).
A delegation by the centre, which paid a courtesy visit to the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike in Government House, Port Harcourt, last Wednesday, also revealed that about 40,000 HIV/AIDS infected persons are already on anti-retroviral treatment in the state.
Head of the delegation, Dr Tedd Ellerbrock, who disclosed these, said the figures were from a survey carried out on HIV/AIDS cases in the state.
He stated that the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention was launching a new programme where 110,000 infected persons would be placed on anti-retroviral treatment to stem the spread of the disease and ensure the control of the epidemic.
Ellerbrock appealed to the Rivers State Government to take-over the payment of user-fees for persons with HIV/AIDS who want anti-retroviral treatment.
“The US Government is funding the Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria in this effort. The US Government will be deeply involved in all the 23 local government areas in Rivers State.
“We will appreciate if you will help us with the user-fees. We have found out that if there are user-fees, people are discouraged from coming forward to seek treatment.
“We are providing the anti-retroviral drugs and the US Government is paying for the programme”, he added.
In his response, the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, commended the efforts of the US Government, and assured that the government would partner with the US Government initiative to make the programme a success in the state.
He announced the immediate abolition of payment of user-fees for persons living with HIV/AIDS who desire to access treatment in health facilities owned by the state.
Wike said that the state government would take over the payment of the user-fees to encourage more infected Rivers people to seek treatment for HIV/AIDS.
“We will stop all fees collected as user-fees for persons under the HIV/AIDS Treatment Programme. This is our contribution to the partnership with the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We will take over the payment of user-fees for the public health facilities in the state.
“The deputy governor will be in charge of the programme since she is a medical doctor. We are committed to working with the US Government to ensure we tackle the disease”, Wike assured.
The governor said that the state government would support the efforts of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria in the programme against HIV/AIDS.

Chris Oluoh