Take over HIV/AIDS fight, US tells Nigeria

 

The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Joint United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDs (UNAIDS) have urged the federal government to “own the HIV response programme” by assisting in reducing cost of placing people living with HIV/AIDs on treatment.
Speaking at the 4th National Council of AIDs, in Abuja yesterday, the country coordinator of PEPFAR, Shirley Dady, said it would be more cost effective “when the government of Nigeria takes over the HIV programme at all levels.
” This, she said, would enable PEPFAR to locate and place 150,000 more people living with HIV on life-saving treatment “in the coming year.
” “From our perspective, there are several reasons why this may be a positive development.
First, a more efficient programme will be more sustainable, secondly, it will be more cost effective once the government of Nigeria takes over the programme at all levels and thirdly, we will be able to locate and place 150,000 more people living with HIV in life saving treatment in the coming year which is, of course, our overreaching goal,”

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