‘50% living with HIV/AIDS in Gombe not accessing treatment’

By Auwal Ahmad

Gombe

Civil Society for HIV & AIDS in Nigeria (CiSHAN), Gombe state chapter, has said that no fewer than 64,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS and that “half of them are not accessing treatment in the state.”
State Coordinator of the group, Ahmed Yusuf, who disclosed this yesterday during a press briefing to make world HIV/AIDS Day in Gombe, said “currently, 90 per cent of HIV funding is from international donor support, private sector 0.3 per cent, local government areas two per cent and state government contributed less than eight per cent.”
“In the N124 million allocated to HIV in the state 2017 budget only N2 million was released, and also the donor lost confidence in Gombe state due to the gross lack of commitment of government and political will and care for citizens’ health, evident in the current piled up outstanding un-paid counterpart fund from the state government; this includes the fact that most donors are winding up their projects and support.
“There is a protracted inadequate Counselling and Testing commodities in spite the growing demand for HCT and there is an alarming prevalence rate of stigmatisation, 37% of people with negative attitude towards People Living with HIV,” he said.
He also called youth to continue shun risky behaviours, and educate their peers using every medium possible, and stand to demand for their “Right to Health…and make it happen.”

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