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The National Agency for the Control
of AIDS and partners have convened a validation meeting to work on an
operational plan that would facilitate the implementation of the recently
launched National HIV Vaccine Plan. They are determined to bridge the funding
gaps in HIV/ AIDS control in Nigeria and lack of a subtype-specific vaccine
plan. The validation meeting was to forge a way forward to ensure the source of
funding for HIV response comes from the Nigerian government at all levels,
private sector, and other possible sources. The Director General of NACA,
Professor John Idoko, stated the meeting was a follow-up to previous meetings
held and that NACA has contracted some consultants to map the point of
resources and recommend possible ways the country can begin to fund its own HIV
response.
Idoko said that about three million
Nigerians are currently living with HIV/AIDS; out of this number, 1.5 million
require antiretroviral treatment, but only about 500,000 of this number are
currently receiving ARV, with the bulk of this treatment coming from donor
agencies. Various speakers corroborated Idoko’s remarks, supporting the need
for in-country funding. Regarding the new vaccine plan, Idoko stated that the
plan would build and enhance HIV vaccine research capacity in Nigeria, identify
opportunities for and enable the formation of collaborative relationships both
within Nigeria and among international partners, and create immeasurable public
health impact and benefit for Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations.
Stakeholders say the vaccine plan
offers an unprecedented opportunity to achieve impact by putting the National
HIV Vaccine Plan into action. It presents 12 achievable recommendations to
strengthen technical and scientific infrastructure and enhance the capacity to
regulate and execute vaccine trials over the next five years. The consultants
presented their findings, including alternative sources of funding identified
in conjunction with stakeholders, that included public-sector mainstreaming;
decentralization of contributions from state and local government budgets;
private-sector contributions; an airline levy; mobile phone levy; health
insurance; and improving efficiencies in HIV/AIDS programs to reduce resource
needs. The impact of these changes in funding sources for HIV and AIDS service
delivery infrastructure was also presented, including coordination and resource
allocation, health financing, human resources for health, HIV and AIDS drugs,
community-based organizations, and an HIV/AIDS Trust Fund.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
