Posted by By Chimex Ndubuisi on
This is good news for HIV/AIDS patients as the Rivers State government has concluded arrangement to treat such patients free of charge beginning from September this year.
This is good news for HIV/AIDS patients as the Rivers State government has concluded arrangement to treat such patients free of charge beginning from September this year.
Speaking at a 3-day training of trainers' workshop on HIV/AIDS for the Nigerian Police with the theme: "Building Capacity for HIV/Aids prevention", organized by Nigerian Police Medical Services in collaboration with Society for Family Health held at Police Officers Mess, Port Harcourt, Dr Peter Odili said that no amount would be charge for the exercise.
Dr Peter Odili who was represented at the occasion by the Health Commissioner, Dr Solomon Enyindah disclosed that those found positive should not panic, as government facilities would be adequately made use of by such patients.
The health commissioner warned companies operating in the state not to discriminate any of their staff that tested positive as the owners of such companies risk leaving the state immediately.
He noted that since at least 30% of members of the force are HIV positive, there was every need for the Nigerian Police to take precaution and thanked them for organizing such a programme.
Dr Enyindah urged the force to raise to the challenges of people living in the state, saying that the state government was the first state to stage a HIV/Aids programme and the first to go to the street of Port Harcourt for the 2 million man march, stressing that the state government has set the standard for other states to emulate.
Also speaking, Mrs. Christiana Chukwu of State Action Committee for Aids (SACA) said that in 2003, more than 180,000 people were living with AIDS in the state and warned that if appropriate steps were not taken, the number would increase. Mrs. Chukwu hinted that the major way of spreading the disease in Nigeria especially in the state was through unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person. She said that HIV could be transmitted through sex, receiving HIV infected blood, use of unscreened blood, use of unsterilized instrument or sharing those instruments.
The medical practitioner disclosed that sexual transmitted diseases such as Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Chancroid and Herpes increase a person's chance of getting infected with HIV/AIDS.
In her vote of thanks, the coordinator of the programme, Dr. Mrs. Adenike Abuwa DCP, thanked the state governor for making the workshop possible and the health commissioner who took time to be at the occasion.
She said that the Nigeria Police, Rivers State would use the workshop to correct its mistakes.
Dr. Abuwa said Police would inform and educate the public on the dangers of the dreaded disease.