PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday insisted that it is the right of all Nigerians to have access to universal health care.
He spoke at the launch of the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) 2018 in the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.
With 3.2 million Nigerians leaving with the virus, the President said the disease has significantly impacted the overall growth of the country.
He said despite the huge resources being expended on the fight against the disease since 2001, there were still gaps in the access, coverage and treatment of the disease.
“The availability of accurate HIV/AIDS data of the country is crucial for planning health interventions to arrest the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
“It has also led to inefficient utilisation and potential wastage of HIV commodities due to inaccurate consumption,” he said
Buhari noted that the lack of data has also affected the ability of the country to compete for HIV grants and curative measures to eradicate the disease.
The NAIIS, he said, is in line with his administration’s determination to ensure long term sustainable solutions to Nigeria’s health and other growth challenges.
“The survey is coming at the right time ….that will ensure every Nigerian has access to universal health services as a right,” the President said.
Stressing that the government is committed to the successful conduct of the survey, Buhari called on state governments and all Nigerians to support the survey.
Director General of National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Sani Aliyu, noted that 600 Nigerians are infected with the disease daily while 400 Nigerians die from the infection daily.
He added that by sorting out the HIV/AIDS problem, it would boost the economy of the nation in the long run.
The survey, he said, will help to identify more Nigerians leaving with the virus to put them on treatment.
The UNAIDS Country Director for Nigeria, Dr. Erasmus Morah, urged Buhari to increase the funds allocated to HIV treatment this year from N1.5 billion to the required N7.5 billion.
Chair of NACA Pauline Tallen said: “Without knowing our country’s HIV data, trusting the data, we cannot adequately plan the country’s HIV response.
“Without adequate planning, we certainly cannot fight HIV effectively.”
Minister of State for Health Osagie Ehinare noted that there are 168,000 HIV related deaths annually.
But he said that more worrisome is the 220,000 new infections annually, who are not aware of the infection but have the potential of spreading the disease.
The NAIIS, which is an initiatives of the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health and NACA, is a survey about HIV in Nigeria.