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support for HIV/AIDs in Nigeria has been withdrawn,” the Senate President said,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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