A pharmacist, Olumide Obube, has called for increased funding and improved healthcare infrastructure to combat the HIV epidemic in Nigeria.
According to Obube, the current healthcare system is inadequate, and more needs to be done to ensure that people living with HIV have access to quality healthcare services.
On Sunday to commemorate the 2024 World AIDS Day, the drug specialist stressed that Nigeria’s HIV response required a multifaceted approach, including increased funding, improved healthcare infrastructure, and addressing the social determinants of health.
He emphasised the importance of the theme “Take the Right Path: My Health, My Right!”, which highlights the intrinsic link between health and human rights.
The pharmacist said the theme was particularly relevant in developing countries like Nigeria, where inequalities in healthcare access persist.
Obube noted that the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS reports that approximately 39 million people globally live with HIV in 2024, with Sub-Saharan Africa bearing the brunt of the epidemic. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has an estimated 1.9 million people living with HIV, with a prevalence rate of 1.3 percent among adults aged 15-49.
Despite global advancements, Obube lamented that about 600,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2023 due to limited access to antiretroviral therapy and persistent stigma.
These statistics, according to the pharmacist, underscore the need to uphold every individual’s right to quality healthcare and information.
He emphasised that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 25) states that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being, including medical care.”
He, however, noted that barriers such as poverty, discrimination, and gender inequality continue to undermine this principle.
In Nigeria, Obube identified challenges like inadequate funding, weak health infrastructure, and cultural taboos as disproportionately affecting key populations, including sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs.
He revealed that these groups account for over 30 per cent of new infections annually.
Obube, however, highlighted the progress made in combating HIV/AIDS when rights-based approaches are integrated.
For instance, he stated that access to ART has increased significantly, with over 1.6 million Nigerians having access to ART by mid-2024, reducing AIDS-related deaths by 50 per cent since 2010.
He also commended the success of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission programmes, which have seen mother-to-child transmission rates drop to 10 per cent in 2023 from 22 per cent a decade earlier.
He added that community-led testing and peer education have reached over 3 million Nigerians, increasing early diagnosis.
The pharmacist further stressed the importance of committing to ensuring that every individual, regardless of status, income, or identity, can access their right to health.
To achieve this, he recommended governments invest in healthcare systems, ensure equitable ART distribution, and protect key populations from discrimination.
He said, “Comprehensive sex education, especially among young people, is critical, while religious and cultural leaders should champion inclusion and acceptance.
“Innovative healthcare delivery models, such as mobile health clinics and telemedicine, can also bridge gaps in hard-to-reach areas.”
Obube emphasised that Nigeria could ensure everyone has access to quality healthcare and information and that the right to health is upheld.
SOURCE PUNCH NEWS
