By Agbor N. Ebuta MD
Since 1988, 34 years after the idea of commemorating the World AIDS Day was first muted, efforts to mark this yearly call to action remains a key milestone pivotal in the global effort to end the HIV-AIDS pandemic.
Globally an estimated 38.4 million persons live with HIV-AIDS, with Nigeria contributing 4.95% i.e., 1.9 million to this burden.
Efforts to provide prevention, treatment, care and support frame-work on up-to date technology and evidence-based practice guidelines are not overtly lacking.
In Nigeria today, 90% of persons who have HIV in the populace are aware of their status, 98% of which are receiving the highly active antiretroviral treatment and 95% of which have achieved viral suppression, meaning that the viral particle is undetectable using current testing methods.
This year’s theme for the day is, Equalize to end AID; Equal access to treatment and prevention services. It represents an auspicious opportunity to mobilize global effort and goodwill, towards crystallizing a cascade of reactions geared towards erasing inequalities and bridging the gap in access to care amongst disadvantaged groups especially.
These groups include but not exclusively, children under 15 years of age; women especially, young/pregnant ones; members of key populations; prisoners, internally displaced persons, refugees, etc and their partners. Other compounding variables include low social-economic status, harmful cultural practices , unfavorable legal climate and stigma related challenges etc.
It is invariably clear that, there must be concerted effort to ensure a repositioning of the health system capacity to facilitate sustainable intervention. Thus, key stakeholders must work assiduously to increase access to care by improving on the number of available point of care testing service, data management capacity, human resources number, not forgetting capacity through purposeful recruitment and targeted training.
In addition, the various levels of governance i.e federal, state and local governments should quickly take ownership of the programme, minimising dependence on the foreign support especially. This ownership disposition should cover for finance and management matters. It would be best delivered using clear cut effective strategy with sustainability components incorporated.
Indeed, a world free of AIDS is possible, however no one must be left behind if we are to achieve that. Actively enabling equal access to all groups must be encouraged deliberately to achieve this.
▪︎ Dr. Ebuta, a family physician and Vice President, Medical Initiative for Africa, lives in Abuja. He can be reached at agborebuta@gmail.com