The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has inaugurated a Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) committee as part of its efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Enugu State.
NACA Director-General, Dr Temitope Ilori, announced this during the committee’s inauguration on Wednesday in Enugu, stating that the initiative is intended to support the work of the State Ministry of Health and the Enugu State Agency for the Control of AIDS (ENSACA).
Dr Ilori commended the Governor of Enugu State, Mr Peter Mbah, for his dedication to revitalising primary healthcare facilities, with the aim of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
“Our goal is to ensure that no child is born with HIV. We also want to guarantee that pregnant women can access HIV testing and treatment across general and teaching hospitals, and that they receive life-saving antiretroviral drugs,” she said.
She urged members of the newly constituted committee to collaborate effectively, noting that the fight against HIV requires a multi-sectoral approach.
In his remarks, Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ikechukwu Obi, who chairs the 20-member committee, pledged that the team would work diligently to achieve its objectives.
He explained that the ministry often utilises committees as operational and oversight mechanisms to drive public health activities, and that this new committee would benefit from tried and tested strategies, including the formation of technical subgroups.
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Dr Obi also assured that both the PMTCT and paediatric sub-committees would be adequately supported to deliver results for the benefit of the public.
Also speaking, Dr Fabian Bassey, State Team Lead for Caritas Nigeria, praised the state government’s ongoing support for the health sector but stressed that greater focus must now be placed on the care of pregnant women and children.
He noted that while progress had been made in adult HIV treatment, the current emphasis should be on ensuring children, including unborn babies, are not left behind.
Dr Bassey added that Caritas Nigeria, in collaboration with the state government, plans to train traditional birth attendants and equip them with HIV test kits to expand testing access for expectant mothers.
The Coordinator of the Network of People Living with AIDS, Mrs Lilian Agbo, also welcomed the committee’s inauguration, describing it as a timely intervention that would offer new hope to people living with HIV.
