Okafor  Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has abolished the payments of user-fees for persons living with HIV/AIDS who want to access treatment at state-owned Health facilities. 

Governor Wike said that the State Government will take over the payment of the user-fees  to encourage  more Rivers people  to seek treatment  for HIV/AIDS.

He spoke on Wednesday during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Nigeria’s Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria to Government House, Port Harcourt.

Governor Wike said: “We will stop all fees collected as user-fees  for persons under the HIV/AIDS  Treatment Programme . This is our contribution  to the partnership  with  the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We will take over the payment of the HIV/AIDS user-fees for the Public Health facilities in the state.

“The Deputy Governor will be in charge of the programme since she is a medical doctor.  We are committed  to working with the United States Government  to ensure we tackle this disease. ”

He added that the Rivers State Government will support the efforts of the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.

He said: “The Rivers State Government will take all necessary  measures  to assist the centre in this current push across the state.

“All the necessary  support will be extended  to the agency as they work in different  locations  of Rivers State “.

Head of the Delegation of the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Tedd Ellerbrock said that 210, 000 persons are currently  infected with HIV/AIDS  in Rivers State, with 40, 000 currently on anti-retroviral treatment.

He said that the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is launching  a new  programme where 110,000 infected persons will be placed on anti-retroviral treatment to stem the spread of the disease and control the epidemic.

He appealed to the Rivers State Government  to take over the payment of user-fees for persons living with HIV/AIDS who want to anti-retroviral  treatment.

“The United States Government is funding  the Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria in this effort. The US Government will be deeply  involved  in all the 23 Local Government Areas.

“We will deeply appreciate  if you will help us with the user-fees.  We have found out that if there are user-fees,  people are discouraged from coming forward to seek treatment. We are providing  the anti-retroviral drugs and the US Government is paying for the programme”, he said.