StarTimes drums support for people living with HIV/AIDS

As part of activities to mark the 2018 World AIDS Day, pay-TV company, StarTimes, has called for more support for Nigerians living with the virus across the country.

StarTimes made this appeal on the sidelines of the 2018 World AIDS Day event held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The pay-TV company joined other stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS in a bid to eradicate the virus completely from Nigeria and Africa at large.

Justin Zhang, CEO, StarTimes Nigeria, said: “StarTimes is committed to the complete eradication of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria using its media footprint across the country and its ability to reach millions of Nigerians even in villages where aid workers are not able to access.

Zhang added that the company would assist in the area of broadcasting informative content and engaging youths via entertaining mobile engagements that educate.

Also speaking, Abdul Dangirma, national secretary, Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), commended the Federal Government for its effort to treatment and prevention of spread of the virus while calling for more to be done in the area of user-fee charges to beneficiaries of antiretroviral drugs.

In May 2017, UNAIDS and StarTimes signed a memorandum of cooperation in Beijing to consummate a cooperation to reduce the impact of HIV across Africa by disseminating messages to the general public to increase awareness of HIV and UNAIDS’ work and to reduce the stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV.

ODINAKA ANUDU