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Kwara State has inaugurated the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission and Paediatric Antiretroviral Therapy Acceleration Plan Committee.
According to a statement by Mrs Modupe Joel, the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Elder Kayode Alabi, the inauguration took place at the Deputy Governor’s Office in Ilorin as facilitated by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, (NACA).
According to the statement, the Deputy Governor, who is also Chairman of the Kwara State AIDS Control Agency, expresses gratitude to NACA for selecting Kwara as one of the pilot states for the programme.
The statement, while emphasizing the state’s commitment to tackling HIV/AIDS despite limited resources and consistently demonstrating leadership in fight against the virus, reveals that the state government is determined to eliminate mother-to-child transmission and ensure that children already affected receive the best possible care.
It adds that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is committed to healthcare and calls for continued collaboration with national and international partners to sustain and expand HIV response programmes in the state.
The Director General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori, in a remark, praised the Kwara State government for its readiness to drive the initiative forward.
Dr. Ilori explained that the integration of HIV services into the National Health Insurance Scheme for vulnerable groups was one of the major targets of NACA at the moment, which is an achievement Kwara State has already implemented.
On her part, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina El-Imam, emphasized that the committee’s inauguration is not just an administrative exercise but a call to urgent action.
The Kwara State Commissioner for Health reiterated that although the State has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in Nigeria, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is committed to achieving a zero percent prevalence rate of the virus.
By Azeezat Hambali
