By Orkula Shaagee
Against the backdrop of the sudden withdrawal of the US government’s donations for HIV treatment in developing nations, the Nigerian government said it would find other means of funding the treatment for the pandemic locally.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, who disclosed this during a visit to the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta in Lagos on Friday, said the government would identify avenues to raise domestic and alternative funds.
According to a report by he News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Salako, who described the US government executive order as a wake-up call, stressed that henceforth the level of aid and grants from the US government to support charitable activities in developing worlds like Nigeria is likely to go down.
“My own personal opinion on the executive order, which has now been reviewed, is that the level of aid and grants that is available from the US government to support charitable activities in developing worlds like Nigeria is likely to go down.
“I believe that it’s a wake-up call for us to strategise and think the way we do things and ensure that we also are able to exert ourselves and create some level of independence within our system.
“To that extent, a series of meetings have been convened, and there is an ongoing discussion with United Nations bodies, WHO, UNDP, and others that work within the health space so that we can also harvest their opinion.
“We’re also looking at other avenues to raise domestic and alternative revenue.
“For example, our HIV programme, which is heavily supported by the U.S. government. We’re looking at crowdfunding to support that in addition to the government making available more funding,” he said.
The Minister, however, expressed optimism that the U.S. government would continue to play its role in the global community.
“I must say that the world is a global village and what happens in one country easily affects the other country.
“America cannot operate in isolation, just like Nigeria cannot operate in isolation, or any other country of the world, for that matter.
“So, I believe that reason will prevail and the American government will continue to play the role it ought to play within the global community,” Salako said.
US President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order for an immediate 90-day funding halt for all foreign aid, including support for the United States PEPFAR.
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the world’s leading HIV initiative.
The announcement by President Trump raised concerns globally, especially in Nigeria where the US PEPFAR programme currently covers close to 90 per cent of the treatment for HIV patients.
However, the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on Jan. 29, announced an “emergency humanitarian waiver” allowing PEPFAR to continue providing life-saving HIV medications to low-income countries.