Nigeria Depends On Donors For 95 Percent Funding Of HIV/AIDS Control, Says UNICEF

***Asks Nigeria To Seek Alternatives As Donor Funding Dwindle

From IFEYINWA IKE, Calabar

The United Nation’s Children Fund ( UNICEF), has revealed  that Nigeria is 95 percent dependent on donor funding in strive to eliminate and control   the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.

It however, cautioned Nigeria on the need for alternative sources of funding, noting that donor funding has since started dwelling.

According to  UNICEF, 95 percent of the HIV / AIDS funding/response is largely  provided by international donor agencies and its dwindling.

The Assistant Director,  Prevention Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) Department, Ministry of Health, Dr. Gbenga Ijaodola,  also disclosed that Nigeria depends largely on donors to effectively manage  and curb the spread of HIV/ AIDS, while 5 percent effort goes to the government.

Speaking at the “Two-day Media Dialogue on the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission” organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in calabar, Gbenga said: “Nigeria has the highest largest global burden of HIV /AIDs and contributes to the largest proportion of new vertically acquired HIV infection among children.

“The major limitation to this program is inadequate appropriation of the National and state budget to fund the HIV program and the donor funding is drastically dropping. There is need for the government to own a self funding program to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in the program.

“Nigeria is responsible for over 12.4 percent of global burden of the  HIV infected children with an estimated number of 267,000 children in the country.”

Also speaking, Dr. Abiola Davies, HIV/ AIDS specialist, UNICEF, explained that Nigeria has only 30 percent HIV coverage around the country over the years, emphasising that the coverage is below the expected 90-90-90 global target.

She lamented the gradual decline in global fundings by donor agencies  and called on the leadership of the country to map up plans on how to redesign to meet up with the global standard.

She said: “Nigeria coverage of HIV is still far from the 90-90-90 global target. This target means that 90 percent of the population should be aware of their Status, 90 percent of those infected should be actively under the retroviral treatment, and there should be 90 percent reduction in the viral load”.

“There should be a thorough follow up on infected mothers to ensure adequate usage of prescribed medications.”

Olumide Osanyinpeju, Deputy Director, Child Right Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture said, there is an urgent need to ensure that every Nigerian child has access to basic service.

He said: “It is worthy to note that it has been a difficult task propagating that children reserve the rights to live a life free from diseases with HIV in focus as a large number of Nigeria children are still at risk of information”.

“This situation is such that we must all continue to work relentlessly till we achieve an HIV AIDs free nation especially with eat to children”, he added.

He  However assured that the Federal Government is committed to the goal of eliminating mother to child transmission by 2020 and has initiated a number of strategies to achieve it.