Hacey wants FG to provide more HIV testing centres

As part of efforts to tackle the high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the country, Hacey Health Initiative has charged the Federal Government on the need to scale up HIV testing centres in the country.

Hacey wants the government to provide more testing prgrammes such as community based testing services centers across the country to help people especially the youths know their HIV status, thereby curbing the effects of the virus in Nigeria.

The charge was made recently by Rhoda Robinson, director-gender development program, Hacey Health Initiative in Lagos to commemorate the United Nation’s World AIDS Day with the support of Access Bank to educate and offer free HIV testing and counselling services in communities.

“The problem of HIV continues to exist and it is extremely important to provide HIV testing and counselling alongside with information and education on prevention and management. The government and private sector have a role to play in this regard,” Robinson said.

“Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world, while HIV prevalence among adults is remarkably small at 2.9 percent compared to other sub-Saharan African countries such as South Africa 18.9percent and Zambia 12.4percent, the size of Nigeria’s population means 3.2 million people were living with HIV in 2016,” she added.

Speaking further, she noted that the collaboration between HACEY, NYSC and Access Bank has been very innovative and will go a long way to ensure that the effect of HIV is abridged as the country is experiencing an unprecedented rise in the mortality rate.

She explained that the best way to prevent new cases of HIV is to ensure everyone gets tested which further emphasizes on the 2018 theme; ‘Know Your Status’ and to ensure that those tested positive have access to treatment.

JOSEPHINE OKOJIE