The HIV Trust Fund

The war against HIV/AIDS got the needed boost with the recent launch of N62billion HIV Trust Fund by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja. It is expected that the fund will curb further spread of the disease as it will enable more Nigerians living with HIV have access to anti-retroviral treatment on a yearly basis. At the event, President Buhari promised that his administration would inject more funds to address HIV/AIDS and other killer diseases in the country.

According to the President, “ending AIDS as a public health threat in Nigeria will require increased domestic funding. We have continued to make good our commitment of placing more people living with HIV on treatment annually using national resources.” Not less than $6.2 billion had been reportedly spent since 2005 on HIV response in the country. The government has also sustained the treatment of 50,000 people living with HIV annually.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who buttressed this fact on the occasion, also revealed that 80 per cent of the funds came from foreign donors such as the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He further disclosed that the private sector contributed 0.1 per cent to two per cent of the total funds while the rest came from the Nigerian government.

We commend the Federal Government for being in the forefront of the war against HIV/AIDS in the country and urge the states and the local governments to team up with the central government in waging a relentless war against HIV/AIDS and other killer diseases affecting many Nigerians.

We enjoin public-spirited Nigerians, philanthropists and corporate organisations to join hands with the government to fight the scourge by donating generously to the HIV Trust Fund. While the N62billion target is ambitious, it is nevertheless an achievable goal. The goal will be achieved if many Nigerians are willing to key into the project.

Although foreign donors have really helped us to overcome some of our health challenges, we cannot continue to depend solely on them. The time has indeed come for Nigerians to own and manage some of these interventions. There is no doubt that HIV/AIDS is still a major health challenge, especially in the area of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Attention should also be given to other killer diseases, such as tuberculosis, malaria and cancer.

Beyond launching the HIV Trust Fund and other notable interventions to halt the spread of the scourge, there is need for more sensitisation campaigns on the causes of the disease as well as how to prevent it. It is unfortunate that some Nigerians no longer reckon with precautionary measures to stem the spread of HIV.

Therefore, we advise Nigerians to go for HIV test. It is by doing so that they will know their HIV status. Currently, Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world and one of the highest rates of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Sadly, many people living with HIV in Nigeria are reportedly not aware of their status.

In all, the Nigerian government has not been able to provide the recommended number of HIV testing and counselling sites. The low level of access to antiretroviral treatment is a major issue for people living with HIV. Nigeria has the fourth largest tuberculosis epidemic in the world. HIV and TB co-infection can now be said to be a major concern for people with HIV in the country.

About 4,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in Nigeria in 2019. Those affected most by HIV in Nigeria include sex workers, homosexuals and people who inject drugs. Although the aforementioned groups constitute 3.4 per cent of the population, they account for 32 per cent of new HIV infections in the country.

We call on the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and others to increase the awareness campaigns on the disease as well as increase treatment for those with the condition. We laud NACA and the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS for establishing the HIV Trust Fund of Nigeria. To ensure that newborn babies don’t have the disease, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV should be given priority attention.