Health
Nigeria, Others Make Progress in Access to HIV Treatment
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A report has said Nigeria and some other countries in the West and Central African regions have made significant progress in expanding access to HIV treatment in the past three years.
However, it was emphasised that the regions still lag behind East and Southern Africa, where by the end of 2018, 67 percent of people living with HIV were accessing ART.
According to the report, at the end of 2018, 53 percent of adults (people aged 15 and over) were accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART), compared to 39 percent in 2015 in West and Central Africa.
At the 2016 United Nations High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners noted with concern that the region had fallen behind Eastern and Southern Africa, and called for an urgent response, known as the “Catch-up Plan”.
The Catch-up Plan was designed to address bottlenecks and help countries reach the 90-90-90 targets (90 percent of those living with HIV know their status, 90 percent of people living with HIV are on antiretroviral treatment (ART), and 90 percent of people on ART will have viral suppression).
Of the estimated 5 million people living with HIV in western and central Africa in 2018, only 64 percent knew their HIV status, and only 76 percent of people living with HIV had achieved viral suppression.
During a session at the 20th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, highlighted the challenges facing the region.
“While we are seeing glimpses of progress in these countries, the numbers are still not what we were aiming for. More people are getting tested, and more people are getting onto treatment, but it is not enough,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. “Countries are doing the work; what is needed now is to improve the speed of the response and bring these efforts to scale if we are to achieve the 90-90-90 targets and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Dr Hugues Lago, Team Leader for HIV, TB and Hepatitis for the WHO African Region, noted that, “One major gap is access to treatment for children and adolescents, as currently only 28 percent of HIV-positive children are receiving ART. Expanding testing of children at birth as well as improving adherence to treatment among adolescents will be key to stopping the spread of HIV in west and central Africa.”
Countries also need to address the needs of key populations such as men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs.
WHO, through the Catch-up Plan, has provided technical support to 11 countries across the region to help them develop appropriate strategies for testing and treatment; assist with the transition to improved medications; ensure that they follow treatment guidelines; implement programmes with appropriate community involvement; and address the issue of user fees. WHO is also providing assistance to ensure that countries do not experience stock-outs of antiretroviral drugs.
WHO continues to support countries at the policy-making level, providing technical guidelines and capacity building, as well as providing assistance, where needed, on the implementation of programmes.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Edo State Health Insurance Commission (EDHIC) has a new Director General and is a dynamic and results-driven leader, Ms Augusta Ikpea-Enaholo,
With a vision for transformative healthcare and a deep sense of duty to Edo residents, Ms Ikpea-Enaholo is expected to lead the organisation into a new era of innovation and impact.
Her leadership is anticipated to not only strengthen the commission’s role in the state but also serve as a model for healthcare reform across Nigeria.
Before joining EDHIC, the new DG has built an outstanding career in maritime law, corporate governance, and legal advisory.
She has held key positions including Principal Legal Officer at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Executive Director at Lee Engineering and Construction, and CEO of Royal Oaks Events Limited. She also served as Lead Managing Partner at August Jury and a Board Member at Davex Limited.
With an academic foundation in law, she holds an LLB from the University of Kent, an LLM from the University of Bristol, and a Doctorate in Maritime Law from the International Maritime Law Institute in Malta.
Ms Ikpea-Enaholo is a distinguished expert in corporate governance, contract negotiation, dispute resolution, and organizational leadership.
She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association, and Nigerian Maritime Lawyers Association, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, London.
Her transition to healthcare administration reflects her deep commitment to public service and health equity.
As the DG of EDHIC, she will prioritize transparency, innovation, as well as foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement to position Edo State as a leader in sustainable healthcare delivery.
She brings a wealth of experience spanning law, public administration, healthcare reform, and corporate governance. Her leadership will be instrumental in driving EDHIC’s mission to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable for all, especially vulnerable populations.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, on Tuesday said the organisation regretted the decision of the United States to withdraw from it.
After his inauguration on Monday, the new US President, Mr Donald Trump, signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the global health body.
“The World Health Organisation regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization.
“The organisation hopes that Washington will change its decision.
“We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe,” the health group stated in the statement.
This marks the second time Mr Trump has ordered the US to be pulled out of the world health body charged with global health welfare and monitoring.
Mr Trump was critical of how the international body handled COVID-19 and began the process of pulling out from the Geneva-based institution during the pandemic.
However, after Mr Trump lost to President Joe Biden in 2020, the erstwhile American president, who later reversed that decision.
With his return to office, Mr Trump, through the executive action on day one, makes it more likely the US will formally leave the global agency.
The executive order also said the withdrawal was the result of “unfairly onerous payments” the US made to the WHO, which is part of the United Nations (UN).
President Trump was critical of the organisation for being too “China-centric” in its tackling of the COVID-19 pandemic and accused the WHO of being biased towards the Asian nation in how it issued guidance during the outbreak.
Under the Biden administration, the US continued to be the largest funder of the WHO (around 14 per cent) and in 2023, it contributed almost one-fifth of the agency’s budget.
The organisation’s annual budget is $6.8 billion.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A healthcare technology platform, DoorSpace, has announced its exit from all Meta platforms, citing value differences and company culture as reasons for the action.
Ahead of the inauguration of Mr Donald Trump as the President of the United States of America (USA) for a second term on tomorrow, Monday, January 20, 2025, Mr Mark Zuckerberg announced changes to his platforms’ fact-checking system.
“The only way that we can push back on this global trend is with the support of the US government, and that’s why it’s been so difficult over the past four years, when even the US government has pushed for censorship,” Mr Zuckerberg said in a video.
He said Meta was welcoming political discourse back on Facebook, Instagram and Threads with the new Community Notes system, which will enable users to write and rate notes that can be added onto posts.
Mr Zuckerberg explained that Meta would be working closely with Mr Trump’s upcoming administration by showing users more content that is politically charged and not checked by third-party fact checkers.
This decision of Meta did not go down well with DoorSpace, which said it has ceased any activity and would no longer spend marketing dollars to advertise on Meta platforms.
“Zuckerberg’s business decisions to rollback its fact checking system and to open up the platform to allow for misinformation, hate and bullying, especially against vulnerable minority groups, shows his lack of understanding on the importance of diversity and common decency.
“Incel culture will continue to grow and fester in that curated environment, leading to more violence against these groups in the real world,” the chief executive of DoorSpace, Ms Sarah M. Worthy, said.
“”I need to stand by my values and use my position as a healthcare tech leader to advocate for the individuals who are directly harmed in both their professional and personal lives by the hate and misinformation being spread on Zuckerberg’s platforms.
“The Meta that Zuckerberg has created has become a cesspool that sells its users’ data to the highest bidder while utilizing manipulative and dangerous tactics to keep people on the app as long as possible,” Ms Worthy added.
“Your data is not secure on their platforms, their algorithmic feed is designed to sow division and misinformation, and the company has announced that it does not view every American equally.
“There is no need for our business to spend money advertising there or any reason for our brand to maintain an active presence there anymore,” she said further.
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