US spends $600m on Nigeria’s health care

United States has injected about $600m into Nigeria’s health care services, the US Ambassador Terrence McCulley said on Tuesday.

McCulley said this during the public presentation of the updated national HIV vaccine plan in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said, “As part of US health initiatives totalling more than $600m a year focussing on HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and other health programmes, this event helps synergises research efforts to improve health care in Nigeria.”

The envoy added that the US had spent  $18.6bn to  improve health care services across the world, with another $48bn for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to run from 2008 to 2013.

He said, “This plan  is to help synergise  the fight against Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria through science and research.”

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief  Pius Anyim, represented by Permanent Secretary, (Special Duties Office) in the Office of the SGF, Dr. Henry Akpan, said  progress had been made by the government in HIV prevention and treatment.

He said, “Nigeria has witnessed a decline of 25 per cent in its HIV prevalence in the last decade. HIV prevalence has declined from 5.8 per cent in 2001 to 4.1 per cent in 2010 but of the huge population, Nigeria remains the most burdened country.

“The government  is promising  political support and dedicated resources to ensure the translation of the National HIV Vaccine Plan to action.”

Director-General of National AIDS Control Agency, Prof. John Idoko, maintained that unless efforts were made to provide scientifically proven vaccine, HIV/AIDS  would  continue to  pose threats to Nigeria.

Idoko said the focus of the government was to create a platform with the responsibility of building an HIV vaccine research capacity, formation of collaborative efforts.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives  has said it will create a new budget line   geared towards enhancing the discovery of HIV vaccine in the country.

A member of the House, Haruna Kigbo, said the lawmakers were considering meeting the US Congress on crucial issues,  including additional financial assistance in the area of HIV and other health care facilities.