Better days are upon the Nigerian people especially people living with HIV.
The Honourable Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, officially launched the Guidelines for HIV treatment in Abuja and said that the event marked the final point of a strenuous journey that Nigeria began in the year 2001, as a means of looking for a suitable development system to render HIV/AIDS treatment and services in the country.
Ehanire mentioned some of the highlights of the guidelines to include: Test and Treat, which implies that everyone that is tested positive for HIV is instantly qualified for treatment; this also includes, pregnant women in the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme. Also, all those who are at risk of getting HIV infection are to be given antiretroviral drugs as a means of prevention.
However, he stated that President Muhammadu Buhari administration was pledged to the African Union position which sought to lead by standard, stating that the arrival and commitment of US President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Global Fund, led to huge investments in HIV/AIDS control measures and a drastic increase in access to life-saving care and treatment.
He further expressed joy that the guidelines were loaded with the basic principles of social justice, equality and equity, strongly in line with the universal declarations of human rights, as well as promoting universal means to HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and care for all individuals in Nigeria.
It was also stated in the guidelines that all individuals on HIV treatment are entitled to at least one free viral load test every year. Much emphasis shall also be laid on different systems of care and that are adjustable to the individual demands of the patient.
Good news, right?
