FCT Minister Disburses Nutritional Support To People Living With HIV/AIDs

By: Samuel Musa & Doris Jonah

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has disbursed Nutritional Support to people living with HIV/AIDs under the auspices of Network of People Living with HIV/AIDs (NEPWHAN) FCT Chapter, as part of Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s Administration.

The disbursement of food items to NEPWHAN members was done by the Secretary, FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, on behalf of the Minister, during an advocacy visit of NEPWHAN to her office for the purpose of familiarization and dialogue aimed at improving the lives of NEPWHAN members.

The Minister said that the FCT Administration is committed to making life easy by supporting people living with HIV/AIDs in FCT through different initiatives and therefore, directed that all bonafide members of NEPWHAN should be enrolled for free into FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS) for one year.

To ensure that the well-being of NEPWHAN members are Cared for in FCT, the Minister said that a unit will be created in the Public Health Department of the Secretariat called “Social and Nutritional Support Unit” to ensure that the social needs of HIV/AIDs patients, especially in the area of protecting their interests as well as nutritional needs is ensured and sustained.

Wike said that the FCT Administration will continue to empower People Living with HIV/AIDs in FCT so that every resident of FCT benefits from Renewed Hope Initiative regardless of their health status or other affiliations so that death as a result of poverty, stigmatization or malnutrition is reduced to its bare in FCT.

Speaking earlier, the Coordinator of Network of People Living with HIV/AIDs (NEPWHAN), Comrade Peter Ikiti, said NEPWHAN is an umbrella organization for all support groups and constituencies of people living with HIV/AIDs (ASWHAN & APYIN) with the goal of advocating for the rights of infected people, promoting comprehensive HIV/AIDs prevention and support to fight against the epidemic.

The Programme Manager, FCT Agency for the Control of AIDs (FACA) Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim, appreciated the Secretary for her interventions since assuming office, especially directing that Social and Nutritional Support unit be created to address social and nutritional care; saying the initiative is timely and needful because people living with HIV/AIDs place high value on nutrition because it protects members from developing complications.