Gombe State to enroll people living with HIV/AIDS into healthcare programme

The Gombe State Government has offered to enroll all people living with HIV/AIDS in the state’s Contributory Healthcare programme, GoHealth for them to access more care.

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This was revealed by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya during a round table discussion for the commemoration of the 2023 World AIDS Day in Gombe.

Governor Yahaya, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau, announced that the state government would accelerate the enrollment of Gombe State indigenes living with HIV into the GoHealth subscription to ensure that no citizens of Gombe State lacked medication for optimal productivity.

Dr. Manassah said the GomSACA would also strengthen efforts to conduct research studies to unravel the factors responsible for HIV transmission in the local government areas with high records and ensure the funding of the mitigation actions, to end AIDS by 2030.

He said the Government would give all that was required to ensure full sustainability of the HIV and other health programmes in the state, especially now that some donor agencies were rounding off their interventions in the state.

Dr. Jatau said the government was optimistic with the successes recorded so far in taming the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state.

The Gombe State Deputy Governor, therefore, emphasized the need to continue to engage the traditional rulers, religious leaders, women and youths in any programme that affected health, to break the social and traditional barriers which hindered the attainment of successes in theimmunization in communities.

He called on the Project Manager of the Gombe State Agency for the Control of AIDS, SACA, to ensure wider publicity and involvement of all sections of the society for the programme to achieve its goal.

The Deputy Governor said the theme for the 2023 World Aids Day commemoration, “Road Map towards Ownership and Sustainability of HIV Response in Gombe State” is apt, because it sought to ensure the provision of responsive HIV services to the doorsteps of consumers.

He said the national focus was geared towards improving accessibility to health facilities in the state and prevention for the separation of the scourge of the disease in the state and the nation at large, saying if it is achieved, it will ensure a future generation that is HIV-free.

“I must commend most profoundly the State Action Control of Aids (GomSACA) team that has an update record and impressive achievement in all thematic areas of HIV intervention in the State. We are indeed proud to note that Gombe State HIV response is on the lead among the States of the Federation,” Dr. Jatau said.

He, commended GomSACA and its partners for the recorded feat, however challenged the organization not to rest on its efforts until Gombe State was free of HIV infections.

According to the Gombe State Deputy Governor, “The state government will continue to provide the enabling environment to ensure the full realisation of the goals of the Gombe State HIV strategic Plan and intervention, which is expected to lead the state to control the epidemic, with the attainment of 95.95 95% Universal target, before the 2025 deadline.”

He commended the decentralization of comprehensive HIV services to the grassroots, which is aimed at fulfilling the International commitment to Universal Access to HIV Services by 2025.

Dr. Jatau said the administration targeted the provision of quality and client-responsive healthcare and social services, with a particular focus on halting and reversing the unenviable trend of maternal and infant mortality rates in the State.

He said the low-uptake of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, PMTCT, services, especially at the grassroots, was posing a threat to the success of the State’s HIV response, but that the 2022 policy of free maternal care in the state has started yielding dividends.

“Among others, it has provided an affordable avenue for pregnant mothers to access PMTCT services. To boost this positive trend, I would like to call on our traditional and religious leaders to generate and implement innovative strategies which would further mobilise our people to effectively utilize these services,” Dr. Jatau said.

He called on pregnant mothers to be consistent in attending Ante Natal Care, while encouraging relevant agencies to ensure that even people at the grassroots have access to HIV care.

The Commissioner of Health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, said the round table discussion with community members and other stakeholders was held in line with this year’s celebration, let communities lead, to discuss modalities of mitigating the adverse impact of HIV in the state.

Dr. Dahiru said Gombe State had so far achieved 95% identification of people living with HIV, out of which 95% were now accessing medical care and attained 95% viral suppression, which had removed Gombe State from the epidemic stage.

The Project Manager of the Gombe State Agency for the Control of AIDS, GomSACA, Mr. Hassan Dawaki, said the world had set the year 2030 as the year to end HIV/AIDS and expressed hope that with the commitment on the ground, the target would be achieved in Gombe State.

He, however, appealed for more funds from the government to realize the dream.

Various awards and palliatives were distributed at the round table to beneficiaries.