By Chris Ochayi

The Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, NEPWHAN, has called on Federal Government  to provide Anti retroviral Drugs , ARVs, for the survival of people living with HIV.

National Coordinator of the network, Mr Abdulkadir Ibrahim, who  made the call while speaking in Abuja, particularly challenged the Ministry of Health to always  ensure the drugs are made available for the people.

Ibrahim lamented the shortage of drugs for the survival of those living with HIV, saying it was as a result of federal government’s negligence to procure the drugs.

According to him, “Currently, we are having crises of shortage of second line drugs and stock out of third line drugs all over the country.

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“It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health to procure all ARVs but they have failed in that regards. We want to know where they kept the N 400 million disbursed for drugs in 2018 budget,” Ibrahim queried.

He said N400 million was disbursed for drugs under the former Health Minister’s term, but nothing was done with it.

He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to beam his torch light on the Ministry of Health as to ascertain how budgets being released for drugs were managed.

The NEPWHAN National Coordinator said that the Network would not accept excuses again from the Federal Ministry of Health over the non procurement of drugs because people’s lives were being endangered.

Ibrahim who condemned any form of corruption at the detriment of people living with HIV, said that unaccountability of budgets for drugs was a recurring issue in both 2018 and 2019.

He also raised alarm over the administration of expired third line Anti retroviral Drugs (ARVs) to people living with HIV in Kano which he blamed on the failure of government to provide drugs.

Ibrahim however advocated direct involvement of NEPWHAN in matters of HIV/AIDS treatment interventions in the country to avert mismanagement and misappropriation.

Vanguard