The Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Sokoto State Chapter, has applauded the Sokoto State Government for the release of N1.8 billion to procure essential drugs for HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), and malaria.

The State Coordinator of NEPWHAN, Comrade Hussaini Muh’d Gwadabawa, made the applause during a media roundtable held in Sokoto.

He described the state government’s gesture as a renewed commitment to improving healthcare delivery across the state.
Gwadabawa praised Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto for ensuring the steady availability of essential drugs for HIV, Tuberculosis (TB,) and Malaria.

He noted that the intervention was particularly timely, coming at a period when external support from the United States had declined, leaving many patients anxious about continued access to life-saving medication.
He said NEPWHAN would monitor the process closely to guard against misuse of the funds.

Gwadabawa, however, called for transparency and accountability from agencies responsible for implementing HIV, TB, and Malaria programmes, and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to working with the state government and development partners.

He urged the media to strengthen their reportage on healthcare systems and gains recorded under the RSSH C-19 Project across five local government areas.

In other news, the Special Adviser to the President on Health, Dr Salma Ibrahim Anas, has said that the health and prosperity of Nigeria must no longer be predicated on external benevolence, but on robust domestic ownership and accountability.

She noted that while Nigeria’s healthcare spending per capita has increased from approximately $67.91 in 2020 to $90.92 in 2022, this increase masks a critical, systemic flaw: the overwhelming majority of our Tota Health Expenditure is financed by high Out-of-Pocket payments, which push millions of Nigerians into poverty every year.

Speaking at the 9th Annual Health Conference of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHeJ), on Friday in Abuja, Anas observed that outside of out-of-pocket spending, a significant portion of the remaining financing comes from external grants, adding that this precarious balance creates a severe vulnerability to risks and slows the attainment of the Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria.

She stated that for decades, development partners and foreign donors have been indispensable allies in Nigeria’s fight against infectious diseases, maternal mortality, and infrastructure deficits; however, the global landscape is changing, accompanied by donor fatigue.

Anas noted that, considering the risk of the dwindling donor aid, experts project a 15 per cent to 20 per cent reduction in foreign grants to Nigeria, a scenario we face, which immediately creates a financial chasm that threatens to unravel decades of progress.