HCT, ARV take centre stage at LSACA, HIV partners meeting

The extent of HCT and anti-retroviral (ART) care provision in Lagos was the focus of a one-day meeting of 12 partner organisations working in the area of HIV and AIDs organised by the Lagos State Agency for the Control of AIDS (LSACA) on July 1, 2009. The objective of the meeting was for partners to avail themselves of the opportunity to present updates to LSACA on activities carried out so far by their respective agencies. It was chaired by the Executive Secretary of LSACA, Dr. (Mrs.) F.A. Dabiri who also doubles as the special adviser to the Lagos State Governor on HIV/AIDS while it was coordinated by Dr. Olusegun Ogboye.

Maiden meeting of the Global Fund HIV Round 5 implementers called by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Abuja Thursday, September 17, 2009. PR- NACA and AED/Nigeria were in attendance

Partners made presentations starting with a focus on HCT and ARV provisions in the state by Dr. (firstname?) Ficsher for LSACA. This was followed by a focus on community outreach by Making Medical Injections Safer (MMIS) and training on correct medical waste disposal by Mrs. (firstname?) Ladipo. Other presentations were made by State Ministry of Health, GHAIN, Africare, UNFPA, NIBUCAA, CEDPA, IHVN, SFH and ALCONDA/VS whose focus area is the corridor of Mile 2 (Lagos) to Cote d’Ivoire while providing comprehensive health services; AED gave a presentation focused on the AED/Smartwork project being carried out in collaboration with NIBUCAA.

The meeting also looked at issues affecting service delivery and quality of output in HCT and ARV. It raised questions about the quality of HCT service delivery, the need for the incorporation of TB and Malaria into HCT as noted by ALCONDA and quality control under the Society for Family Health project (15per day/10th Dry Blood Spot). Personnel turnover within HCT service providers was underlined as impacting HCT services as personnel who have been given specialist training move on to other jobs.

The meeting also noted that poor documentation and motivation of field staff were key challenges to accurate statistical data recording.

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EDITORIAL TEAM: Olusina O. Falana, Executive Secretary/CEO, NIBUCAA; Rekiya O. Sanni, Business Development Officer, NIBUCAA; Jossey Ogbuanoh, CEO, Media Productions.