The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) on Monday, March 16, 2020, restated its commitment to scale up efforts on Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS in the country.
Dr Ijaodola Olugbenga, Assistant Director, PMTCT, National AIDS Hepatitis and STI Control Programme, FMoH, made this commitment during the documentary screening on PMTCT, organised by AIDS Health Care Foundation (AHF), an NGO.
The event was part of activities marking the 2020 International Women’s Month with the theme: `Each for Equal’ which focuses on ‘Safe Motherhood with HIV.’
Olugbenga said the government has identified the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV response as a fundamental contributor to tackling the incidence of HIV and AIDS among children in the country.
According to him, the government is committed toward promoting the welfare of children, hence, it developed a programme called the PMTCT Capture Plan.
He explained that the goal of the programme was to ensure that every pregnant woman at the facilities and communities were tracked and tested, while those who test positive get enrolled in PMTCT services.
“The recent survey by Nigeria National HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey 2018 gave the coverage of PMTCT at 67 per cent, which means we still have about 33 per cent out there not captured in the programme.
“We have decided to engage the community by developing different types of framework, policy document to see how we can engage all the stakeholders at the community level.
“We have started a collaboration with our state counterparts. We want to develop a very good linkage between the community and the facilities to ensure they get adequate services across the board,’’ he said.
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Mr Okoye Gedieon, Focal Officer, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) identified various efforts and intervention that had been put in place to ensure babies are born negative through the PMTCT programme.
“Currently, we are taking intervention to communities, which was not so before. Previously, the focus was more at the facility level, but we are beginning to reach out to them in their communities.
“This is because we have tools that are working. It is about getting people to understand the need for the services and advocacy to reduce barriers that prevent people from going to the facilities,” Gedieon said.
Gedieon, however, identified some of the barriers which have hindered women from going to the facilities as an attitude of healthcare workers, cost of HIV services, availability of test kits, among others.
He said that the government was working with stakeholders to address the challenges while engaging traditional and religious leaders so they understand the importance of the services to the community.
Dr Emmanuel Nwabueze, the medical Director, AHF, said the event was to showcase the importance of PMTCT as no child deserve to be born HIV positive in Nigeria.
Nwabueze said the foundation has collaborated with the FMoH since 2011 to support women living with HIV and AIDS.
“The PMTCT programme is working and we want to use this opportunity to showcase the success stories through the programme as we commemorate the international women’s month.
“At AHF, over 2,400 women under the PMTCT programme have all delivered babies free of HIV virus, hence we encourage all pregnant women to attend an antenatal clinic where they will benefit from the services,” Nwabueze said.
A beneficiary of the PMTCT programme, who pleaded anonymity, commended AHF for their support and free supply of Anti-retroviral drugs to their facility at Tungamagi in FCT suburb.
According to her, she tested HIV positive in 2005 and confirmed her status at Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital.
“ I realised I was infected with the HIV virus. I kept taking my drugs and at one of the counselling sections, I was told I can get pregnant and give birth to babies that are negative.
“Today all my children are HIV negative and am healthy because I obeyed the doctor’s instruction from when I was pregnant till I delivered and I was monitored even after delivery,” she said.
Similarly, another beneficiary said she discovered her HIV status during her antenatal visit to the hospital.
I was enrolled at the PMTCT programme, where I tested positive. I had a successful delivery, my son is negative and I am healthy.
“I encourage pregnant women to go for antenatal,” she said.
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