Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has commended the United States government for working with the State Government to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the State.
The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Stuart Symington, said that the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) administered by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), US Department of Defense, and US Agency for International Development (USAID) is implementing an Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) surge programme in Rivers state to identify and provide treatment.
The programme will cover approximately 180,000 People Living with HIV, (PLHIV) who have not previously received such, according to Symington.
The two leaders spoke at the Government House Port Harcourt on Tuesday during a high profile meeting on the promotion of the health of Rivers people.
Governor Wike said: “I want to thank the Government of the United States for working with the Rivers State Government to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
“I thank the United States Government for recognising the contributions of the Rivers State Government in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”
Governor Wike assured the United States Government that his administration would continue to fund programmes that would reduce the prevalence of the healthcare challenge.
“We will continue to work for the reduction of HIV/AIDS in the state. We are glad that we are partners with the US Government. For us, health is key. Education is key. With Education, you can talk to people on measures to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
“At present, with the support of the United states Government, we are running 115 sites to prevent Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV/AIDS,” he said.
He said that the health programmes of the Rivers State Government is yielding results as the immunisation statistics of the state has moved from 54 percent to 82 percent.
Speaking further, Governor Wike thanked the United States Government for insisting that votes count in Rivers State during the last General Elections.
He said that the United States Government ensured that democracy survived in the country, despite the fact that it came under threat.
It will be recalled that Rivers State Governor, Wike recently announced that the Rivers State Government will pay the user-fees for People Living with HIV in the state to access free treatment.
In his remarks, Amb. Symington said the US government’s $75 million budget increase is for HIV control activities in Nigeria, with about $25 million allocated for the ART surge activities.
Amb. Symington thanked Gov. Wike for announcing his intent to eliminate user-fees for PLHIV.
The US delegation was in Rivers state to advocate for elimination of user-fees for all people living with HIV, ante-natal care charges for pregnant women living with the virus, and other barriers hindering PLHIV from accessing health services.
The Ambassador said Gov. Wike’s pronouncement serves as an example to other states and the federal government to eliminate such user fees.
“The United States remains committed to supporting Nigeria as it works to reduce and ultimately eliminate the scourge of HIV/AIDS among its people,” Ambassador Symington said.
