The FCT Administration will soon carry out Needs Assessment of people living with HIV in the Federal Capital Territory with the aim of identifying indigent members, economic status, current level of care
and additional services and support requirements.
The FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed CON, made this disclosure on Friday after meeting with top management of the FCT Agency for the Control of AIDS (FACA) led by its Project Manager, Dr. Uche Okoro, in his office in Abuja.
The Minister said that the FCT Administration has focused attention on support groups living with HIV in health facilities and communities.
“This would enable the FCT Administration deal directly with the people living with HIV for maximum result and benefit”, he emphasized.
Mohammed remarked that the Administration intends to map out hotspots in the Federal Capital Territory for continuous direct services to the people living with HIV.
The Minister stated that the Administration has decentralized its HIV services from urban centre to Primary Health Care centres in the rural areas which, he noted is paying off in providing comprehensive
quality, accessible, affordable HIV/AIDS services in the Territory.
According to him, currently there are over 200 HIV counselling and testing centres, over 230 prevention of mother to child transmission centres as well as 24 comprehensive anti-retroviral treatment centres in the FCT.
Mohammed recalled that he had approved the establishment of the multi-purpose business and computer-training centre for the people living with HIV in FCT and the release of N10.5 million to the Network of People Living With HIV in Nigeria, (NEPHWAN), FCT Chapter.
The Minister revealed that the objective for the establishment of multi-purpose business and computer training centre was to improve the quality of life, ameliorate the living conditions of indigent people
living with HIV in FCT through skill acquisition and to generate internal revenue for NEPWHAN-FCT by providing services to the public but however regretted that that the centre could not work for more
than four months due to the unfortunate leadership crisis among
members.
Mohammed disclosed that in 2013, FCTA was able to reach out to 30,679 Orphan and Vulnerable children resulting from HIV infections with comprehensive services as well as 12,924 Care Givers (family
members) of orphan and vulnerable children trained on Income Generating Activities.
He reiterated that 28,265 People living with HIV received Home Base Care and packages of orientations with positive living and 27,783 People Living with HIV also received adherence support services; while
78,582 Pregnant Women in 2013 were seen in the various PMTCT sites in FCT in addition to the 267,574 persons that received HIV counselling and testing services.
The Minister pointed out that HIV prevalence in FCT had dropped from 8.6% in 2010 to 7.5% in 2012 and expressed confidence that it would further drop in the subsequent years.
Also speaking after the meeting, the Project Manager of FACA, Dr. Uche Okoro, commended the FCT Minister for approving the sum of N8,395,000 to NEPWHAN-FCT chapter for running their routine activities and the gracious support given to some members of NEPHWAN-FCT chapter to attend conference in USA in 2013.
Dr. Okoro said that since the first case of HIV in FCT in 1991, the FCT Administration has committed tremendous resources in the fight against HIV infection and mitigating impact on those living and
affected by the HIV virus in the Territory.
The Project Manager revealed that the FCT Administration has invested heavily on infrastructure and human capitals in the hospitals to provide effective comprehensive healthcare services to the
residents of FCT.
He recalled with nostalgia that the wife of the FCT Minister had a dinner with the people living with HIV at her official residents – Life Camp, Abuja where food stuffs, clothing, were distributed to the members and that 100 indigent rural women living with HIV were equally given Thirty Thousand Naira (N30,000) each as Seed Funds for their various businesses.
Dr. Okoro also disclosed that in 2013, the FCT Administration through FACA was able to secure grant from GLOBAL Fund for 13 Support Group of People Living with HIV in FCT to provide HIV care and support services to their members to the tune of Sixty Million Seven Hundred and Twenty Three Naira (N60,723,000) only.
According to him, the beneficiary Support Groups include Ummah Support Group, Virteous Peoples Support group, Daughters of Charity Support Group, Dutse Support Group, SPAID Support Group, Hope Initiative Support Group, Org of Positive Productivity, Unique Aid Foundation, LUCAF SG, Abundant Life SG, Shinning Hope SG, Sacred Heart SG and Gracious Support Group
