From: Segun Adio
The government of Anambra State and the Management of Total Group have jointly appealed to Nigerians to embrace voluntary HIV screening so as to know early the zero status, saying it is key to any informed Strategic Plan to arrive at zero new infections.
This was the outcome of the 2017 two-week HIV/Tuberculosis Awareness and Preventive Education Project held in Awka, the state capital.
The joint keynote address delivered by Executive Director Strategy, Downstream of Tota Group, Prince Jeff Nnamani, ob behalf of the two Managing Directoss, Mr. Nicolas Terraz (Upstream) and Mr. Jean Phillipe-Torres (Downstream) at the project launch, stated that the 2016 UNAIDS report highlights that 36.7 million people globally are living with HIV, a staggering 70 per cent of this global figure are in Africa, where less than 29 per cent of the population knowing their HIV status.
The company therefore encouraged what it called Voluntary HIV Testing Services (HTS) among Nigerians.
“HIV/AIDS is a global challenge of our lifetime but we remain committed to fighting the virus to finish. HIV HTS is also crucial, especially for pregnant women where prevention of mother-to-child transmission will protect the unborn child and help achieve an HIV-Free generation in the near future.”
The state government, which was well represented at the event, also assured that it would always partner with groups fighting the HIV scourge in the state.
Notable representatives from the Anambra State Government at the close of the programme were Dr. Anaeme, who represented the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike; Permanent Secretary, Anambra State Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, represented the Commissioner, Mr. Linus Nwankwo, , among others.
It was a Health Synergy of the TOTAL Group in Nigeria (TOTAL Nigeria Plc and TOTAL Upstream Companies in Nigeria), supported by NAPIMS and the OML 130 PSA Partners – Sapetro, CNOOC , Petrobas. The Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS (NIBUCAA) was the Technical Partner. Tagged the ‘Drive-On Project’, it leverages on the 500+ Service Stations of TOTAL Downstream nationwide for more reach and impact as Customers ‘Drive-On’ through these Service Stations. The Project, which commenced in 2006, has been taken to twenty-one States in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory,
TOTAL has a robust Workplace HIV/AIDS Policy with the main focus on confidentiality, zero discrimination, zero stigmatization and full treatment support.
Deliverables achieved during this year’s Project are:
- Four-day training of 25 TOTAL Service Station Attendants (drawn from six Towns in the State as Peer Educators, who are in turn, mandated to continue as Preventive Education Ambassadors
- Mass distribution of Educative Leaflets and Posters
- Two weeks free HIV HTS to members of the public in five Towns; Awka, Ekwulobia, Ihiala, Nnewi and Onitsha (six HTS Points per Town), in collaboration with the State Agency for Control of AIDS (SACA), especially on trained Counselors and Testers. This 2017 New Project Strategy was to achieve more reach and impact
- 12,116 Persons (Males-6257, Females-5859) benefited from the free HTS far above the Project Target Reach of 10,000 Persons. The 64 seropositive Persons (Males-30, Females-34) were directed to Reference Hospitals in their vicinities for further assessment and treatment
- The Project Launch on the 25th was held at the Total Service Station Oguta Road, Onitsha where most of the expected Stakeholders; State /Local Government Functionaries, Several Associations/Groups (Market, Transport, NYSC, Schools, etc, NAPIMS, TOTAL Upstream/ Downstream Representatives and NIBUCAA were all in attendance.