Ogun State Government has unveiled a new strategic plan aimed at achieving zero infection and ensuring sustained treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, made this known at the opening of a three-day stakeholders' engagement meeting towards developing the State HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan for 2025-2027 in Abeokuta on Wednesday.
Coker, represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Tayo Lawal, affirmed that the new development would play a significant role in the lives of the people living with HIV.
The Commissioner stated that, “it’s no longer news that donors are drastically withdrawing their support, unlike during the World Bank era when support was at its peak. We're all witnesses to the current state of HIV response in the country.
“However, the fight against the disease cannot be won by the government alone; a multisectoral response to HIV must be fully activated. Every stakeholder must come together to fight this epidemic.”;
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr. Kehinde Fatungase, emphasised the need to develop a technical work plan that would guide the state's efforts over the next two years, utilising available resources effectively, despite the existence of a National Strategic Plan.
Representatives from the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, APIN Public Health Initiative, and Civil Society on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, showed commitment towards supporting the planning and implementation of the strategic plan.
