The Kwara State Government said it has spent 96 percent out of the World Bank support for the implementation of HIV/AIDS in the state. The State Deputy Governor, Elder Peter Kisira stated this in Ilorin during the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) advocacy visit to the state. While reiterating the state’s commitment to HIV/AIDS programme and other health related programmes in the state, Kisira who is also the chairman of the state AIDS Control Agency (KWASACA) said that this was demonstrated by the reduction in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS from 4.3% in 2001 among the women that attended anti-natal clinics to 1.47% in 2012 among the general population.
The Deputy Governor explained that four line ministries health, women affairs, youth and sports development, education and human capital development are implementing HIV/AIDS programmes in their sectors including the 16 local government areas of the state. He called on NACA and developed countries to give Kwara State special consideration in view of its border to three countries Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Benin Republic as citizens of these countries come to the state on a daily basis. Earlier, the Director General of NACA, Professor John Idoko commended Kwara state for its health insurance scheme which he noted has been captured by the agency as micro model being adopted by other states of the federation.
Idoko, who was represented by the Head of Private Sector, NACA, Dr Effiong Eno, said that the country presently has 3.2million people living with HIV out of which 42,000 are in the state.
The DG urged the state government to pay its counterpart fund as the World Bank, other donor countries and agencies are gradually withdrawing their support.
Source:Daily Trust