The Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA) has announced plans to introduce an integrated healthcare programme aimed at improving HIV prevention, treatment and addiction care across the state.
The initiative, known as the Anambra Integrated HIV and Addiction Care Programme (AIHAC), will bring together HIV services, mental health support, medication-assisted treatment, telehealth, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis care, rehabilitation, skills development and economic empowerment.
The Executive Director of ANSACA, Dr. Hillary Nkem Okeke, disclosed this during a working visit to the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Centre at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku, Awka.
Okeke said the programme would operate through eight strategic pillars designed to make coordinated healthcare services more accessible to people living with HIV, persons affected by substance use disorders and other vulnerable populations.
“Our goal is to make integrated healthcare services more accessible, ensuring that people who need them are aware that these services are available in Anambra State,” he said.
He described the MAT Centre as an important part of the state’s efforts to address substance use disorders and prevent HIV and viral hepatitis infections.
According to him, the centre is one of the few medication-assisted treatment facilities in Nigeria established with support from the Global Fund and provides evidence-based treatment for people experiencing opioid dependence.
Okeke explained that the facility also provides an avenue for reaching people who inject drugs, a population considered particularly vulnerable to HIV and viral hepatitis due to unsafe injecting practices.
He said clients accessing the centre are routinely tested for HIV and viral hepatitis, with those who test positive linked to appropriate treatment, while those who test negative receive counselling and preventive services.
Beyond medication, he said the centre offers psychosocial support to help clients recover, undergo rehabilitation and successfully reintegrate into their communities.
Okeke encouraged people struggling with opioid dependence and substance misuse, including the use of tramadol, codeine, methamphetamine, cannabis and cocaine, to seek professional assistance at the facility.
He further disclosed that ANSACA would expand community-based interventions by training patent medicine vendors and other community service providers on safer practices to reduce the spread of HIV and viral hepatitis B and C among people who inject drugs.
The executive director said broader access to harm reduction services in healthcare facilities and communities would contribute to better health outcomes, prevent new HIV infections and support Nigeria’s efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat.
He commended Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo for providing the political support needed for the establishment and continued operation of the MAT Centre.
Okeke also appreciated the Global Fund, Achieving Health Nigeria Initiative (AHNI), Anambra State Ministry of Health, COOUTH management and other implementing partners for their contributions to the initiative.
Meanwhile, AHNI’s Senior Technical Officer for Key Populations and Harm Reduction, Mr. Femi Owolabi, described the MAT Centre as a key component of Nigeria’s harm reduction response.
Owolabi explained that medication-assisted treatment uses evidence-based medicines such as methadone alongside psychosocial interventions to control cravings, ease withdrawal symptoms and support sustained recovery.
He said the programme provides confidential and patient-centred services, including individual counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), to help address factors contributing to substance use.
According to him, medication-assisted treatment is one of three major harm reduction interventions, alongside the Needle and Syringe Programme and Community Naloxone Distribution, which are designed to reduce HIV, viral hepatitis and other health risks linked to drug use.
Owolabi commended the partnership between the Global Fund, Anambra State Government, ANSACA, Ministry of Health, COOUTH and AHNI, saying sustained collaboration would be essential to expanding access to addiction treatment, rehabilitation and HIV prevention services for vulnerable populations.
 has announced plans to introduce an integrated healthcare programme aimed at improving HIV prevention, treatment and addiction care across the state.){kind=link}