The treatment of HIV/AIDS is through antiretroviral drug therapy with funds made available by the U.S President Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief
Recently, there has been an uproar concerning President Trump withdrawing relief funds from countries that benefit from it. This is one of the President’s decisions as soon as he got into power. These relief funds cover the treatment of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. Several Nigerians have shown their displeasure and also expressed fear concerning this decision. The decision also exposed the insensitivity and stigmatization many Nigerians have towards the viral infection.
Amidst this uproar, NACA released a press release concerning the issue and the messaging is quite ambiguous. The truth of the matter is that 90% of Nigeria’s HIV antiretroviral drugs come from the United States of America and with the funds being withdrawn, the cost of antiretroviral drugs might skyrocket. An X user expressed his fear with a warning, insinuating that the cost of antiretroviral drugs for a month might cost up to N3 million naira.
Before this, there was solid hope with People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). PLWHA gets antiretroviral drugs from designated hospitals without payment. Nigeria’s goal to eliminate HIV by 2030 seems shaky. Hope can be just a grain of sand but this grain of sand is micro and we can’t see it yet.
In this article, I will be reviewing the NACA press release while simplifying the information.
The fate of eradicating HIV/AIDS in Nigeria lies in the decisions of Trump
According to the press release by NACA, President Donald Trump froze foreign aid for 90 days. This action affects a lot of relief funds Nigeria gets. Nigeria receives support for HIV and Tuberculosis treatment through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) from the USA.
Fortunately, there was a waiver for HIV treatment by Trump which was a relief to all. However, in the press release statement, the Nigeria Agency for the Control of AIDS, the agency is seeking domestic resource mobilization strategies towards ownership and sustainability of the HIV response in the country. The outbreak of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria has been for a while, one would have expected that we would have found a sustainable internal solution since its break.
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How can Nigeria make sure this announcement does not hinder the dispensation of Antiretroviral drugs?
The waiver is an absolute relief to PLWHA in Nigeria but the fear of being unsustainable is still imprinted in their hearts. The fate of PLWHA lies in the unstable policy-making of another country. Under NACA’s post on IG, someone assured people not to PANIC but without failed systems in Nigeria, people don’t have faith in the system.
With my recent encounter with the Nigerian healthcare system, I have seen a lot of loopholes. The communication and transparency system in the country is nothing to write about. In my recent research, getting antiretroviral drugs is a seamless process as PLWHA has to go to designated centers to collect them that will last them for a particular number of days.
Antiretroviral drugs are primarily used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. They hinder the body from replicating the virus, allowing the immune system to repair itself.
Antiretroviral drug therapy is the sole treatment of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria
In light of the recent development, I fear that the system might crash. Health officials in the system might try to hoard these drugs for rainy days. The system might not be transparent enough to fault this. Antiretroviral drugs might find a way to get into the black market and begin to sell at unreasonable prices in light of the recent development. Even with the announcement of a waiver, health officials still whisper about an impending scarcity of antiretroviral drugs.
The Nigerian government should keep close tabs on people handling antiretroviral drugs to ensure the drugs are disseminated as effectively as possible and prevent a false scarcity from happening. According to the mechanism of antiretroviral therapy, PLWHA is required to take these drugs for life. Failure to do so might come with adverse side effects.
While the President of Nigeria of Nigeria might have extended his gratitude to Trump concerning his waiver, he should not bask in the help of the present but strategize for the future- how Nigeria can fully sponsor HIV/AIDS antiretroviral drug therapy and not rely on other countries for help. Nigeria is the giant of Africa and she has all the resources to take care of her people.
We hope that Nigeria finds a sustainable means to tackle AIDS independently in the future because quite a handful of Nigerians still harbor stigmatization toward PLWHA.
