November 11, (THEWILL) — The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Moses Ekuma, has expressed concern over the low turnout of people living with HIV for treatment in the state, despite the availability of free medical care.
Speaking with journalists in Abakaliki, Dr. Ekuma highlighted the progress made under the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru in improving healthcare delivery. He disclosed that the state recently secured a grant from the Global Fund to ensure that HIV-positive patients receive free treatment across state-owned health facilities.
“We secured a grant to make sure all HIV-positive patients get free treatment. Previously, free care only covered HIV-related drugs. Now, it means that if an HIV patient has an ulcer, hypertension, malaria, or even needs surgery, the treatment will be free,” he explained.
The Commissioner, however, lamented that many people living with HIV are not coming forward to benefit from the programme.
“We are not getting the desired results. We know the number of people living with HIV is much higher than those enrolled for treatment. I urge them to come out and take advantage of this opportunity. The government has created this chance to improve their quality of life,” he said.
Dr. Ekuma added that the initiative will also cover up to four children of each enrolled HIV-positive patient, regardless of the children’s HIV status.
“Any illness they or their children have will be treated without charge. We are working to expand this support system because the governor is committed to strengthening the health sector,” he stated.
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
