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The Network of People Living With HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWAN), Kogi state chapter, has called on the state government to enact an anti-stigma law to protect people living with HIV from discrimination and encourage them to seek medical care without fear.
The organisation also advocated expanded HIV testing to promote early diagnosis and timely treatment, stressing the need to address barriers that prevent people from accessing essential healthcare services.
The State Coordinator of NEPWAN, Mr. Jimoh Audu, made the call during a round-table engagement with media practitioners and other stakeholders in Lokoja, where participants examined unresolved advocacy issues under the Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) project.
Audu explained that the CLM initiative was designed to ensure that community members are aware of the quality of healthcare services available at nearby facilities, particularly those relating to HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.
He said the project also provides a platform for beneficiaries to identify gaps in healthcare delivery and communicate their experiences to relevant authorities for necessary action, noting that community-based organisations have been engaged to collaborate with health facilities in gathering data on service delivery, with a view to identifying challenges and improving the quality of care provided to patients.
The NEPWAN coordinator noted that enacting an anti-stigma law would help create a more supportive environment for people living with HIV, enabling them to seek testing, treatment and other healthcare services without fear of discrimination.
He emphasised that stigma and discrimination remain issues requiring sustained attention, urging the government to strengthen measures that protect the rights and dignity of people living with HIV.
Audu called on the government
and relevant development partners to address outstanding challenges identified through the CLM process, particularly those affecting access to and the quality of HIV, TB and malaria services.
He said sustained collaboration among government agencies, healthcare providers, community-based organisations, the media and other stakeholders was essential to translating the findings of community monitoring into practical improvements in healthcare delivery across the state.
Presenting Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) report, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for NEPWAN in Kogi state, Adekola Samuel Oti called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to address challenges affecting the quality of healthcare services for people living with HIV, tuberculosis (TB), malaria and other health conditions.
According to him, through health facilities and community-based institutional structures, CLM collects relevant information and presents it to decision-makers to facilitate timely interventions, noting that these interventions may be short-term measures to address immediate concerns or long-term strategies to strengthen healthcare delivery systems.
“The initiative operates through four major components: education, evidence, engagement and advocacy. The process begins with educating community members by providing them with essential information about available health services and their rights as recipients of care.
“It also empowers communities to monitor key indicators, including access to healthcare, client satisfaction, quality of care and the responsiveness of service providers to patients’ needs.
“Data collectors gather feedback and other relevant evidence, which is subsequently analysed by a multi-stakeholder group comprising representatives of national networks, recipients of care, healthcare providers and policymakers.
“This collaborative process enables stakeholders to identify priority concerns, examine gaps in service delivery and advocate appropriate improvements in the healthcare system.
“The meeting was convened to deliberate on outstanding issues emerging from the monitoring process and work with relevant stakeholders to develop practical and sustainable solutions to identified challenges.
“Another key objective was to make the outcomes of the engagement available to the public through appropriate media platforms, thereby raising awareness and promoting accountability in the delivery of HIV, TB and malaria services across Nigeria” he stated.
Also speaking, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the Renaissance Care and Empowerment Foundation (RECEF) Joseph Adaodi, highlighted inadequate funding and support for community-based, for People Living with HIV (PLHIV), noting that the situation had weakened their capacity to provide psychosocial, nutritional and treatment adherence support to members.
According to the report, low awareness of tuberculosis (TB), particularly among Female Sex Workers (FSWs), remains another concern requiring intensified public education and community sensitization to improve knowledge, early detection and access to treatment.
“The report also identified inadequate access to youth-friendly and non-discriminatory family planning and reproductive health services leaving to stigma and bias among some healthcare providers” the report said.
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