President
of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Thursday called for
increased global attention for HIV/AIDS funding in Nigeria.
In
a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media & Publicity, Mr. Yusuph
Olaniyonu, on the occasion of World Health Day 2017, Saraki, who is a medical
doctor by training, stated that with the decision by major foreign donors to
suspend funding for Nigeria’s HIV/AIDs programs, the fate of over 3.4million
Nigerians living with the infection would remain uncertain.
“Information
at our disposal reveals that significant global support for HIV/AIDs in Nigeria
has been withdrawn,” the Senate President said, “In order not to jeopardize the
treatment of the millions of Nigerians that are living with HIV and AIDS, at
this point, government at all levels must continue to work with our
international partners to identify alternative sources of funding.
“Without
careful planning now, the negative impact of the funding decrease in HIV/AIDs
programming is not far off. The fire brigade approach will not work on this
issue, foresight, preparation and strategies must be put in place to mitigate
against the potential threat to human life.
“Additionally,
we must assemble a team of prominent medical professionals and eminent
Nigerians both at home and abroad to create a campaign to persuade the donor
community to reconsider their decision to stop HIV/AIDs funding,” he said.
The
Senate President also stated that the Senate would work to ensure that there
are no gaps in the HIV/AIDS funding regime.
In
a similar regard, Saraki expressed optimism about the fact that the
government’s external funding requests and the 2017 budget contain provisions
to fund initiatives aimed at rolling back the spread of polio and cholera,
which have experienced gradual resurgence in the Northern part of the country.
“With
the various challenges facing Nigerian’s health infrastructure, now is not the
time to retreat on HIV/AIDS. The loss of funding will create immediate
stress on an already overburdened system. We can overcome the the threat,
but what will be the unforeseen price.
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