Segun Awofadeji
2 December 2008
opinion
Lagos — Last Monday marked another World AIDS Day, a day individuals, governments and non-governmental organisations all over the world come together to bring attention to the global AIDS pandemic, raising awareness and education about the reality of the scourge. In Bauchi State, government pledged to tackle the pandemic, writes Segun Awofadeji.
At the inception of the present administration of Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, a NEEDS assessment committee was set up on May 30, 2007 to assess the situation of health facilities and healthcare delivery system in the state. A summary of the committee's findings showed that both basic and advance equipments in hospitals, across the state were lacking and most of the available ones were dysfunctional.
Also, human resources was inadequate both in quantity and quality with no continuous professional development, while there was limited access to services due to non-affordability leading to high maternal and child mortalities and other avoidable deaths. In fact, the "health care delivery services was not only very poor, but the health sector generally was under funded by the previous administration".
Even the over 5,000 registered HIV patients with the Specialist Hospital could not access free services. Government therefore established some key organisations to address the issue of bureaucracy and thereby bring about enhanced service delivery and productivity. This initiative gave birth to the establishment of three major parastatals including Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria (BACATMA).
BACATMA, a baby of Bauchi State Action Committee on Aids (BACA) was established by the law of the Bauchi State House of Assembly on April 18. This was on realisation that the majority of people affected with these diseases cannot afford treatment and many are even ignorant of how to go about it.
Speaking with THISDAY on the activities of the agency, the Secretary/Chairman Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed explained that its functions include the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TBL) and Malaria in the state; to support and provide medication to people who are already infected with the diseases as well as strengthening the capacity utilisation of all stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TBL and Malaria, and to strengthen and standardise monitoring and evaluation system in the state in accordance with the Nigerian National Response Management Information Systems.
Others include planning and coordinating activities of the various response strategic framework in the state; control and monitor prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT] of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis/leprosy and malaria in the state; facilitate the engagement of all tiers of government and all sectors on issues of HIV/AIDS, TBL and malaria in the state as well as implement and monitor all the budgetary allocations of line ministries and parastatals in respect of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, among others functions of the agency.
He also explained that for the proper functioning of the agency, it is split into five directorates. These are HIVAIDS control programme; tuberculosis/leprosy, malaria; Planning Research and Statistics and Finance and Administration. Above all, there is the BACATMA board which decides the activities of the agency.
The agency though newly created has recorded some impressive achievements. According to the chairman, "the agency is the first of its kind in the country, and this initiative has endeared the state to so many sister states who have been coming and at some level contacting us to find out the workability of the agency with a view to establishing same in their states".
In order to create awareness and educate the public on the dangers of HIV/AIDS, The Agency has sponsored the production and airing of radio and television jingles that are currently running in the media organisations in the state. In addition to that, Billboards carrying messages on HIV/AIDS have been designed and erected at different strategic places in the whole state.
"The agency was mindful of the effect those messages could convey", he noted. They have also supported the activities of various non-governmental organisations, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in a number of ways to achieve the goal of controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS, while also supporting the formation of support groups across the state.
Similarly, the agency has procured HIV test kits and submitted same to the Specialist Hospital, Bauchi even as it had met at different times with the Muslim religious leaders in Bauchi metropolis and their Christian counterpart. The meeting was designed to expose them to the new challenges in controlling HIV/AIDS pandemic in the state. The agency and indeed Bauchi State Government was represented at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico. A team of six officials including a member of the State House of Assembly (BAHA) and the President of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NEPHWAN0) were on the trip.
The major achievement of the agency was when it initiated the marriage of the positive living males and females totaling about 79. The marriage initiative has exposed the agency to the world. The agency supports such marriages which has turned the agency office to "a sort of Mecca attracting people from far and near who come to find out if actually the marriages are true and its workability." Many more marriages of this kind will be conducted soon as the agency has received requests from about 30 other positive living males and females who would want to be joined in holy wedlock."
However, the agency's greatest challenge, according to Mohammed is that "despite the effort the state government is making to curb the spread of HIV/AIDs, many people still don't believe it exists especially our youths," disclosing that in 2005, about 40 million people were reportedly infected with the HIV virus in the world and out of this estimated number, 25 million were from Africa while Nigerians are one tenth of the Africans involved.
The chairman further stated that at least 144 persons died of AIDS between 2007 and 2008 in the state, and so therefore urged religious, traditional and community leaders to advise their people that AIDS is real and that they should ensure that they always protect themselves by using condom and keeping one sex partner. Parents should also warn and educate their children on the dangers of HIV/AIDS. He further advised people in the state to go to the health care centres close to them for free tests to know their HIV status and to collect drugs if the need arises.
BACATMA like every other related organisation or setting also has the problem of accommodation and low access to HIV counseling and testing, anti-retroval therapy and PMTCT services as well as persistent risky behaviours among the youths who are the most vulnerable in the society, and inadequate manpower to man the heavy burden of activities in the state are other problems facing the agency.
In the area of tuberculosis, Mohammed disclosed that about 3,000 people are presently infected while 40 per cent of these also have HIV/AIDS. He however, noted that his agency has intensified efforts on immunization and increase awareness on prevention since it is known to be better than cure. Moreover, in the various health centres across the state, voluntary counseling is also going on.
In addition, 56 DOTs centres were established and 112 Leprosarium were also established to help in the control of tuberculosis and leprosy. The TB/HIV new machinery has been set in motion in having proper and workable collaboration for enhanced service delivery. Also the counterpart fund for the Netherlands Leprosy Relief to the tune of N46 million has been approved by the state government which Mohammed said will no doubt augment the control of leprosy and tuberculosis in the state.
Under the malaria control department of the agency, the BACATMA boss explained that many children below five years were dying of the disease. He however, stressed that despite the fact that malaria kills people faster than HIV, many people don't often take their children to the hospital. "However, it may be as a result of poverty and lack of awareness that such services are free. Funny enough, even when they are given mosquito nets free, they sell them instead of using them to prevent mosquito bites which are the cause of malaria. It goes a long way to show that they do not know the severity of these diseases", he noted. According to him, "we have however distributed 241,741 LLIN's to six local government areas during special days campaign in 2007/08 and also distributed 289,659 doses of ACT (Larimal) to 20 Local Government areas health facilities and hospitals while 135 health workers were trained on malaria in an integrated minimum health package training in three local government areas of Bauchi state and 80 health workers were also trained on Malaria through the new primary health care [PHC) concept".
Mohammed added that "226,146 doses of SP for IPT were distributed at local government areas. Health facilities and hospitals in the state where under the malaria parasite Africa fight back, USAID NETMARK projects 2008, 21,000 LLIN's were distributed.
The BACATMA chairman however declared that the task of controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS, TBL and Malaria "is not for the government or few individuals alone, but it is a fight for all of us, so we must all join hands to eradicate the spread of these diseases to the barest minimum in the society," he said, while commending Yuguda for establishing the agency which according to him has made "a landmark nationally and internationally in his quest to develop the state and humanity".
On the agency's future plans to achieve its laudable goals and objectives, some of the activities designed by the agency include establishment of a mobile HIV counseling and testing so that the people in rural and market areas could access the services of the agency thereby enhancing healthy care delivery in addition to the procurement of 500 blood bags in order to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS through blood transfusion, among others.
Yuguda believes that it takes practical action and implicit commitment to ensure improvement in health sector. He believes in an unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of the citizenry and has vowed to fight deadly infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, TBL and Malaria, among others to a standstill", Dr. Mohammed declared, adding that "Government tackles issues of health like the supply of power generating unit in 14 hospitals, the control of malaria and the construction of Mini water - works to ensure regular water supply in all the state government owned hospitals which hitherto was not available.
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