By Chioma Umeha
The government has been urged to increase funding
and support People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) and partners working on HIV awareness in line with the global campaign
for safer motherhood and HIV-free babies.
Making the call recently, was Mrs. Kadiri Oluseyi,
Executive Director, Centre for Positive Health Organisation, Lagos State under
the platform of Abidjan – Lagos – Corridor who further canvassed for the
elimination of stigma for People Living With HIV/AIDS.
According to her, support from the government
through increased funding and access to anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs will help
to ameliorate the challlenges of PLWHA, especially pregnant mothers and help in
the elimination of Mother-To- Child- Transmission (eMTCT) of HIV.
Oluseyi spoke when members of Journalists Alliance
for Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV in Nigeria (JAPiN), Lagos
state Chapter made the special investigative visit to the office of
Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organisation, in Badagry General Hospital, Lagos,
recently.
Oluseyi said: “Government should support the
People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and
partners working in the area of HIV, support groups with funds.
“Being a PLWA is not an easy task. PLWA is faced
with a lot of discrimination. For instance, a lady came to us and complained
that she was sacked from work because she is positive.
“Government should put more efforts to address
stigmatization. There should be intensive education on eliminating
discrimination of PLWA. ”
According to her, the Abijan-Lagos Corridor
Organisation is a HIV support group project that is working in partnership with
the Badagry General Hospital ante natal unit.
The group is working towards HIV prevention,
maternal health, tuberculosis prevention, treatment, care and support at the
community level, she added.
“Our focus is that information reaches every
individual about HIV counseling, testing, and treatment. We also provide
access, care and support especially to those that have tested positive. We believe
that all those that have tested HIV positive must be treated with equal right.
We Stand for justice,” the Executive Director said.
“Some of the difficulties we face is that most of
the PLWA are always upset, not owning up to their status or visiting the
hospital in line with the directive of their psychosocial counsellor. Some of
them often refuse to be counselled or receive drugs. However, we don’t give up,
we counsel the PLWA on the risk involved of his action on himself and the
community. With persistent information, they often succumb.”
“Getting infected is one thing and accepting the
result is another, likewise taking it upon oneself to live a positive life is
also another thing. First, they need to accept that they are positive and
second, is access to treatment. By the time they are beginning to access
treatment and now fully in charge of themselves, knowing that they have to
remain on treatment and live a positive life to avoid getting fresh infection
or getting other people infected, definitely, the information would have become
valuable.
Mrs. Salami Bukola, Psychosocial Counsellor
Abidjan- Lagos Corridor, on her part said:” We monitor and follow-up PLWA,
counsel them to accept their result and register to receive ARV drugs. We don’t
force the PLWA; rather we tell them the negative impact of not registering and
adhering to the prescription of the ARV.
“The drugs are free, but not all the tests are
free. The two most important that are free is CD4 and viral load tests. We have
recorded great success in this project. The PLWA pregnant mothers give birth to
negative children.”
