By Chris Nyamtu
The Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Nasarawa State Chapter, has called on the state government and other relevant stakeholders to intensify efforts toward strengthening healthcare facilities across the state to improve access to quality care and treatment for people living with HIV and Tuberculosis (TB).
The State Coordinator of NEPWHAN, Mr. Philip Lokoko, made the call while leading members of the Nasarawa State Initiative for Youth Development Change in Nigeria, a community-based civil society organisation, on an advocacy visit to the State Tuberculosis Coordinator in Lafia.
The advocacy visit formed part of the Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) exercise aimed at ensuring the effective implementation of the Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health (RSSH) and COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) Grant Project in the state.
Mr. Lokoko noted that sustained advocacy was gradually encouraging rural communities across Nasarawa State to become more aware of their roles in supporting and strengthening healthcare facilities to ensure improved access to quality healthcare services.
He commended the six community-based civil society organisations participating in the advocacy and community-led monitoring of health facilities across the implementing local government areas, expressing confidence that their efforts would contribute significantly to the success of the project.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the Nasarawa State Initiative for Youth Development Change in Nigeria, Mr. Idris Suleiman, explained that the visit was to brief the State TB Coordinator on key challenges identified during the monitoring of health facilities in Keana and Doma Local Government Areas.
According to him, the monitoring exercise revealed several infrastructural and operational gaps, including the absence of weighing scales, inadequate record-keeping facilities due to a lack of iron cabinets, dilapidated Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) centres, and shortages of TB diagnostic cartridges and laboratory reagents at the General Hospitals in Doma and Keana.
Responding, the State Tuberculosis Coordinator, Dr. Simon Ovey, commended the organisation for its commitment to improving healthcare delivery in rural communities and assured the team that immediate steps would be taken to address the identified challenges.
As part of the monitoring exercise, the advocacy team also visited the Primary Health Centre in Kadarko, Keana Local Government Area.
During the visit, the Programme Officer of the organisation, Mr. Idris Iliyasu, observed that support groups for people living with HIV and AIDS at the facility were inactive.
He urged healthcare workers at the centre to revitalise the HIV/AIDS support groups and strengthen services at the facility to ensure better care for patients while reducing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. (Radio Nigeria).
