US pledges more support for combating HIV/AIDS in FCT

THE visiting United States Deputy Secretary of State, Mr John Sullivan has commended the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for judicious utilisation of grants received from the US government for HIV/AIDS intervention programmes in FCT.

He made this remark when he inspected the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)’s Centre in the Asokoro General Hospital, Abuja.

The Mandate Secretary for FCTA’s Health and Human Services Secretariat, Mrs. Amanda Pam, received the US Deputy Secretary of State on behalf of the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello.

While thanking FCT administration for the warm hospitality accorded him and his entourage, the Deputy Secretary of State conveyed his satisfaction with the projects so far executed.

The projects include the ARV Clinic and Paediatric Early Infant Diagnosis facilities, among others.

The centre was donated by the US government for the purpose of treatment HIV/AIDS, effective management of Maternal, New-born, as well as Child Health and prevention of Maternal-to-child Transmission (PMCTC) of the disease.

Mr Sullivan was accompanied in the visit by the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington; the Director General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Sani Aliyu; the Country Director, Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and other top officials of the US Embassy in Nigeria.

During an interactive session, the beneficiaries of the programme expressed their gratitude to the American government for positively affecting their living conditions.

They also said that the envoys visit gave them a sense of belonging as part of the global community, thereby boosting their morale and immunity.

The US Deputy Secretary of State, therefore, promised that when he gets back home he would engage with his colleagues in government and the executive in congress to spotlight the problems of HIV/AIDS  patients in Nigeria in order to render more support to them.

PEPFAR programme was initiated by the administration of former American President, George Bush to check the spread of HIV/AIDS  scourge in Africa.

The Mandate Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCTA, Amanda Pam, on behalf of the FCTA, thanked the US government for their huge investments in the HIV/AIDS Treatment Programme in the FCT in particular and Nigeria in general.