More Than 300 ''HIV'' Patients Protest Over Alleged Neglect In Abuja (Photos)

 

                        There was pandemonium at the headquarters of the National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS in Abuja on Monday as about 300 protesters under the aegis of Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS shut down the agency’s premises over alleged neglect.

                      They also premised their action on miserable conditions, inability to access antiretroviral drugs and the ongoing withdrawal of funding support to HIV/AIDS by external funding partners.

The protesters, including young men and women carrying children, specifically accused NACA of failing to implement the Presidential Comprehensive Response Plan inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan to bridge the existing treatment access gaps.

The Federal Government had appropriated N8bn for the PCRC, out of the estimated N140bn. It was, however, learnt that only 20 per cent of the funds had been released.

As early as 6.30am, the protesters besieged NACA office with different anti-government inscriptions, tied palm fronds on their mouths and every part of their body, indicating their loss of confidence in NACA’s inability to fast track the implementation of the PCRP which was inaugurated by Jonathan late last year and scheduled to end by the end of 2014.

They besieged the major entrance to the office of the Director General of NACA, Prof. John Idoko, and prevented him and other staffers from entering the building.

To demonstrate their seriousness, the protesters came with bed sheets, mats and other sleeping materials to spend days and nights.

The spokesperson for NEPWHAN, Mr. Sumaila Garba, told journalists that they would lock up NACA office for 25 days.

While vowing to continue the protest for the next 25 days, NEPWHAN said they had realised that none of the targets set for the PCRP had been achieved due to lack of funds for HIV/AIDS.

The organisation stated that out of the N8bn budgeted by the government for the implementation of the PCRP in 2014, only 20 per cent, representing less than 5.7 per cent of the estimated budget, was appropriated for HIV/AIDS under the SURE-P “which we hear is now targeted only to Taraba and Abia states.”

NEPHWAN National Secretary, Mr. Victor Omosahon, alleged that Idoko had failed in his primary duty which is the welfare of over 3.5 million NEPWHAN members across Nigeria.

He alleged that several meetings with the leadership of NACA failed to yield result, especially in the implementation of the funds to assist the people in the treatment of the virus.

“We are concerned with the miserable conditions of the people living with the virus in Nigeria, as well as the high number of people dying daily from AIDS-related complications due to the lack of access to antiretroviral drugs and the on-going withdrawal of funding support for HIV / AIDS to Nigeria by external funding partners”, he stated.

He expressed disappointment that only 649,000 HIV positive persons out of 1.8 million that were eligible for the treatment were getting access to antiretroviral drugs, saying that it represented only 30 per cent of those who need it.

But in his response, the NACA boss said that the PCRP had four cardinal interventions, including the expansion of double treatment to where they are at the point, 600,000 to 1.4 million.

He said, “I want to also emphasise that the Federal Government’s programme which is starting now, after about 10 years of waiting will take care of the laboratory test of all the patients who are on drugs free of charge.

“I want to emphasise that as we move on this year, starting from Taraba and Abia states, all the patients who are in those states will have free laboratory tests. And, as we expand, they will also continue to enjoy our services.

“I also need to mention a few other things. Testing is a major issue. We are testing in all the 36 states and the FCT. It is not that two states alone are being considered. It is a whole country.

“True to it, as part of this transformation agenda, the government decided to fund it. But it is very far from where we should be. The fund for this today should be like N140bn, but only N8bn that has been appropriated.”