AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has called on Nigeria government to commit funds to the sixth Replenishment conference coming up in France to help end the scourge of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The Country Programme Director, AHF Nigeria, Dr Echey Ijezie, made the call in Abuja while briefing journalists on the forthcoming conference to be held in France.
He said “AHF, in partnership with Civil Society Organisations have embarked on `Fund the Fund’ campaign.”
He said that the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment Conference in Lyon, is targeted to raise at least US$14 billion to help save 16 million lives, avert 234 million infections.
Ijezie noted that AHF Nigeria would join the rest of the Global Bureau and stakeholders in Nigeria to lend voices on the need for commitments to the Global Fund to be fulfilled.
Also, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), reaffirmed its commitment to contributing to the Global Fund for the Management of HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Dr Araoye Segilola, the National Coordinator, National AIDS, STI’s, Hepatitis Control Programme (NASCP), FMoH said that Nigeria as a nation had never abandoned its responsibility or commitment to citizens, neither had it failed from its responsibility among comity of nations.
He added that at the Global Fund’s 5th Replenishment conference which held in Canada in 2016 spanning three years (2016-2019), Nigeria made its commitment and fulfilled its pledge to the fund.
According to him, the Global Fund’s 6th Replenishment conference scheduled for Lyon, France, Nigeria will also be represented, adding that “we will make commitment as other nations and we will redeem our pledge.” The coordinator explained that over the years, Nigeria had benefited from the Global Fund support in the area of HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
He added that “currently, Nigeria has a HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 1.4 per cent, equivalent to 1.9 million Nigerians living with the virus.”
Segilola stated that “1.1 million people out of the 1.9 million Nigerians living with the virus are on treatment with the support of Global Fund, President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other National and International Non-Governmental Agencies.”
He thanked AHF “for the immense contribution and collaboration with FMoH, and in reaching people in remote communities across Nigeria, testing them and placing them on treatment.”
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