By Mustapha Yauri
Abuja – The UNAIDS has appealed to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to focus more on the grassroots in its efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2020.
Dr Bilali Camara, Country Director, UNAIDS, made the appeal in Abuja on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said that the agency must push more resources to local communities where 80 percent of mother-to-child transmission of HIV are recorded.
“If we want to test pregnant women to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS by 2020, these pregnant women should go to Primary Healthcare centres for ante-natal care.
“If we also want to test more children the tendency is that they will be more in the PHC centres.
“This shows that with the results we can reach other members of the family who might be infected with the virus such as the husbands and other members of the family. “
According to him, this would push up the demand for HIV/AIDS services and help in ending the disease as a public health challenge by 2030.
Camara advised patients affected by the disease to see their doctors twice a year, and adhere to treatment.
He stated that UNAIDS had assisted the government to design a comprehensive policy on trans-shifting and trans-sharing policy.
“This policy is aimed at bringing the treatment processes to the grassroots through nurses at local government levels.
“The nurses at the grassroots should be able to do 80 percent of the work that is required for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
“The blood works and viral load test can be done at the central level after six months of first enrolment, “ he said.
He advised people affected by the disease to use community groups and assign a member to be collecting the drugs on their behalf, to reduce cost and other burdens.
“People Living with HIV/AIDS are living in harsh conditions. That is the reality.
“When you go to the market you also observed that the impressions of people have changed and taken a great toll over their ability to do what they want to do. “
He said UNAIDS had been advising the government to bring HIV/AIDS treatment closer to the people, so as to take the treatment directly to them in the rural areas.(NAN)
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