Govt to spend N36.8 billion on HIV/AIDS next year
By Madu Onuorah (Abuja) and Chukwuma Muanya (Lagos)
PERSONS living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) will receive succour from the Federal Government next year under a N36.5 billion ($248 million) drug acquisition scheme.
About 200,000 persons afflicted with the disease will benefit from the package. The government will use the money to procure anti-retroviral drugs (ARD) for them.
The decision was taken by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in Abuja yesterday.
Already, 14,000 HIV/AIDS patients are receiving the drug at a subsidised rate of N12,000 per person yearly. The government voted N1.2 billion for the ARD initiative in the 2004 budget.
The FEC approval of the new N36.8 billion was sequel to a request by the Health Ministry.
After the FEC meeting, the Minister of Health, Prof. Eyitayo Lambo, told State House correspondents that the council had also approved the setting up of a committee that would look into the problems of HIV treatment and the prevention of mother-to-child infection.
The committee would also look into the activities of various partners in the fight against the disease, and how to meet the funding gap.
Members of the committee, besides Lambo who is the chairman, are the Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Nasir el-Rufai; Labour and Productivity, Dr. Hassan Lawal; Defence, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso; Women Affairs, Mrs. Rita Akpan and Education, Prof. Fabian Osuji.
On the funding, Lambo said the figure would include the cost of diagnosing, clinical monitoring and the training of counsellors, nurses and doctors.
He said: "HIV/AIDS is one infection after the other and the cost of treating all those ones all put together is quite expensive. The amount also includes the training of counsellors, who are very important because they should be the first port of call for the voluntary counselling and testing."
The bulk of the projected amount, he said, would be sourced from the United States (U.S.) President George Bush Initiative and other donor agencies. "The President Bush Initiative is to treat about two million people in Africa and to try to prevent seven million infection and provided care and support for 10 million people in Africa for the next five years," Lambo added.
Giving details of the prevalent rate and the need for urgent pro-active intervention, the minister said that "about one in 11 adults living with AIDS live in Nigeria. In terms of new infections, one out of 13 new infections happen in Nigeria. Then in terms of AIDS death, one out of nine is a Nigerian. The magnitude of AIDS in Nigeria is big. Our population is the reason because the prevalent rate is low compared to some African countries."
He noted that though the prevalence rate has improved from about 5.8 per cent in 2001 to 5.0 per cent in 2003, there was need to enlighten the people on the disease, especially on behavioural change.
Still on the prevalence rate, he gave the figure for 1991 as 1.8 per cent; 4.5 per cent (1995), 5.8 per cent in 2001 while rate for 2003 dropped to 5.0 per cent.
In terms of zones, Lambo said Benue State has the highest prevalence rate in North-Central, Adamawa in North-East, Cross River in the South-South and the country with 12 per cent. Lagos ranks first in the South-West, Kaduna for North-West and Enugu for South-East.
The council also approved the signing of a Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) with Kenya.
Aviation Minister, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, told journalists after the council's meeting that the pact would provide extra frequencies for Kenya Airlines.
Nigeria, he stated, would enjoy similar treatment from Kenya when it gets its own carrier.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) has said that it spent about N180 million on its HIV/AIDS project in the last three years.
It hinted that 700,000 new HIV/AIDS infections were prevented during the period.
The organisation therefore urged the government to dedicate some percentage of the yearly budget to the prevention, cure and treatment of the disease.
At the presentation of NRCS HIV/AIDS programme review report and knowledge, attitude, practice and behaviour(KAPB) survey 2004, its Secretary-General, Mr. Biodun Orebiyi, said the group "has spent on the average N60 million yearly in the last three years on HIV/AIDS training, production of communication materials, participation at conferences, production of pamphlets and booklets, motivation of volunteers, capacity building and networking. So far, we have spent tentatively N180 million on our HIV/AIDS project."`
Orebiyi further said that the programme was developed in 2000 and supported by the International Federation of Red Cross with donor support from British and Swedish Red Cross Societies and Nestle International.
He explained that the programme began in 12 states across the six geo-political zones previously identified as having the highest prevalence.
The objectives of the survey, according to a member of the review team, Dr. Moses Adekunle Aderanti, was to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes, practices and behaviour in relation to HIV/AIDS in youths.
It was conducted in four zones with states having highest prevalence: South-West(Lagos); South-East (Ebonyi); North-Central (Benue) and North-West (Kaduna). A total of 2,400 respondents were drawn from the four zones representing 600 participants per zone.`
