Composition of Participants: Zamfara state HSCL ACE 3 Team, ZAMSACA staffs, SMOH Staffs, SASCP, NEPHWAN executive members, APIN, ASHWAN, Society for Family Health, Emir of Gusau, Corp Members, Media, Civil Society Organizations, Civil Base Organizations.
Road Walk
The activity started around 8:00am, all the participants converged at Ahmad Sani Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital as the meeting point to carry out road walk to Gusau emirate counsel, sensitization/awareness about HIV/AIDS was carried out during the road walk.
Meeting at Gusau Emirate Counsel
The ES ZAMSACA Dr. Hussaini Yakubu Anka began his speech by acknowledging the presence of the His Royal Highness the Emir of Gusau and other protocols were duly observed, he stated that Thursday 1st December commemorate the 2022 World AIDS Day, is a day to remember the existence of People living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, to celebrate and show them love, mentioned that the current existing partners supporting HIV/AIDS program in the state are Health System Consults ACE3 providing care and treatment support for general population, Society for Family Health Providing Care and Treatment support for Key Population, and Onboarding Partner Pro Health to support OVC programme in Zamfara state. Based on NAIIS 2018 Zamfara state had a prevalence of 0.4%. Mentioned that HIV is not showing by face, a lot of people are living with HIV and still are yet to know their HIV status. With this, he urged all members of the communities to use today as the golden opportunity to know their HIV status to achieve 95:95:95 goals. He explained what the three 95’s entails. In conclusion, he further clarified HIV is not transmitted through sexual contact alone, but there are other means of contracting the virus.
Emir of Gusau
The of Emir of Gusau Alh. Ibrahim Bello Gusau, represented by Sarkin Gabas Na Gusau Alh. Bashir Kabir Danbaba as Babban Uban Kasar Masarautar Gusau, delivered his good will message, He acknowledged the support of ZAMSACA and the implementing partners, HSCL ACE 3 and SFH for the support given to people living with HIV in the state, He encouraged them to continue the good work of sensitizing the public on HIV/AIDS. He also recognized the PMTCT services support given to for all the pregnant women as well as testing their partners.
State Team Lead HSCL ACE 3
Mr. Oyindamola Alimi delivered a good will message, he acknowledged the presence of the protocols observed, stated that Thursday 1st December commemorates the 2022 World AIDS Day for celebrating people living with HIV and serves as best avenue to educate the clients and the public on HIV/AIDS. HSCL ACE3, the implementing partner for general population currently have 6655 patients currently on treatment across 14 LGA’s in the Zamfara state. 95% of the clients on treatment have achieved viral suppression, Undetectable=Untransmutable resulting in achieving Accelerating Control of HIV/AID Epidemics in Zamfara state in collaboration in SMOH and ZAMSACA team.
State Team Lead Society for Family Health
Haj Zainab Nyako, acknowledged the presence of all the protocols observed, she began her good will message by stating that 1st December commemorates the 2022 World AIDS Day, is a day to remember people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in the world, there are successes recorded among PLHIV in terms of care and treatment support in the state which is encouraging. However due to the stigma and discrimination still there are some percentages of PLHIV that are not adhering to ART. She urged men to give their wives the authority to have access to PMTCT services to achieve elimination of mother to Child transmission of HIV. In conclusion, he pleaded with the stakeholders to provide support to PLHIV within the communities respectively.
NEPHWAN (Balarabe Muhammad)
The program Officer from NEPHWAN who is among the PLHIV for 8 years back, he mentioned that HIV is not death sentence and encouraged the public get themselves tested and to start ART for the ones tested HIV positive, stated that HIV if you are not infected you will be affected. He urged the people living with HIV to adhere to ART in order to achieve viral suppression up to the undetectable stage which the virus would be untransmittable to their partners.
Meeting at SMOH
Executive Secretary ZAMSACA
Dr Hussaini Yakubu Anka began his good will message by acknowledging the presence of participants, he stated that the agency is working to ensure that all couples must undergo HIV test before marriage, a bill to this is under way, it has even passed first reading at the state house of assembly.
STL HSCL ACE 3
Mr. Oyindamola Alimi acknowledged the continues support from SMOH. In FY23 Q1 we have tested 44,000 people across the supported health facilities within the 14 LGA’s in the state, 316 were tested HIV positive and were commenced on treatment. As at today we recorded zero transmission in the state.
Speech by Commissioner for Health (Aliyu Abubakar MC) represented by Permanent Secretary SMOH (Pharm Aliyu Muhammad Maikiyo)
The permanent Secretary acknowledged the presence of the participants, he gave a background of HIV/AIDS, Thursday 1st December commemorates the 2022 World AIDS Day, He stated the prevalence of HIV in the countries and across different states in Nigeria, but Zamfara had prevalence rate of 0.4% based on the NAIIS 2018, mentioned the Zamfara state government through SMOH is making a giant straight forward and global achievement of epidemic control of HIV/AIDS by the year 2030 through deliberated policies and programs. Continuous supply of HIV test kit and Counterpart funding and continuous salary payment to the service providers involved in providing care and treatment support to People Living with HIV within the state. The SMOH in its efforts to reposition HIV/AIDS in the state has restructured the state HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STI’s, and cervical cancer control programme by the appointed sustentive program officer and providing office accommodation in the Ministry, this the first time the SASCP to obtain an office in the SMOH since its inception. The SMOH also provide assistance to PLWHIV. The ZAMSCA and SASCP are now working closely to ensure effective and efficient HIV services in the state. The ministry is also providing enabling environment for the partners implementing HIV services in the state especially Health System Consults Limited (HSCL ACE 3) and Society for Family Health (SFH). He used the medium to appreciate the support from HSCL ACE 3 for services and ensuring the transmission rate is decreasing drastically, also appreciate SFH for implementing in Key population, and Global Health Supply Chain (GHSC-PSM) for supporting with commodities in the state.
