The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, has disclosed that an estimated of 173, 660 persons were living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Edo State.He urged that state take the issue of funding the activities HIV/AIDS more seriously to combat the disease. Adewole explained that there was still a wide gap between those who require HIV care and treatment and those who can access it in Edo State adding that 25, 730 Persons living with the virus were on Anti-Retroviral treatment.
The minister said that the state in 2016 spent N5, 000,000 on the State’s Sustainability Road Map (SRM) for the disease. He said the estimated project cost to implement the SRM in the state was about N271, 432, 118.
“We want Edo to earmark at least 0.5 to one per cent of its monthly federal allocation for the funding of HIV/AIDs Sustainability Road Map and the provision of HIV/AIDs commodities in the state,” the minister said.
The Receiving the delegation, Governor Godwin Obaseki expressed the state government commitment in partnering with the agency in curbing the menace. He promised that that a committee with representatives of NACA would be set up to come up with an Action Plan on the models and strategies for the effective management of the disease in the state.
“It is important that we contain HIV, but there are some key things we need to do. We also need laboratories and the right management models to make it work,” he added.
Source:MWN
