The United States of America has assured
Nigeria of its unwavering commitment to increase the country’s access
to HIV/AIDS and malaria testing and treatment, improving the quality of
family planning and reproductive health services, as well as expanding
access to immunisation for children and women.
The Deputy Chief of Mission, Maria E.
Brewer, said this at the flagging off of activities and inauguration of
the Joint West African Research Group in Ikeja, Lagos.
She noted that the US was deeply
committed to working with Nigeria for many years to come. “One of the
areas in which we continue to work very closely together is improving
the health of the Nigerian people.”
Brewer noted: “The US Embassy’s Walter
Reed Programme, supported through the US President’s Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, helps save the lives of those suffering
from HIV. PEPFAR is a historic commitment — the largest by any nation to
combat a single disease internationally — and PEPFAR investments also
help alleviate suffering from other diseases across the globe.
“For 12 years, the US Department of
Defence and the Nigerian Ministry of Defence have worked together to
enhance HIV prevention, care, and treatment. This partnership has not
only endured, but has also grown into a model for the way our military
can work together effectively.
“The work this partnership does—fighting
the spread of infectious diseases throughout Nigeria—is as important
today as it was 12 years ago. It is my honour to be here today to
congratulate you on your many accomplishments and wish you well as you
begin another 12 years of work,” she noted.
According to her, the 2014-2015 Ebola
epidemic in West Africa revealed both great potential and deep
deficiencies within the mechanisms for rapid medical response to public
health emergencies.
“While global coordination resulted in
controlling this epidemic, greater investment in public health
infrastructure and surveillance systems could have yielded better
preparation and response to the outbreak.
“A significant amount has been awarded
to the US Military HIV Research Programme at the Walter Reed Army
Institute of Research and to the Naval Medical Research Centre. This
funding supports laboratory and clinical capacity building through
military-to-military collaborations and academia,” she disclosed.
Meanwhile, when asked how effective the
programme had been since the 12 years partnership, the Corp Commander,
Medical, Major General Abimbola Amusu, explained: “I think this
programme has been able to address tuberculosis and improve the access
to it. The resurgence of tuberculosis was due to the increase in the
cases of HIV/AIDS.”
She, therefore, urged African leaders to
pay more attention to health as well as commit more funds into
healthcare. “They shouldn’t think health is just any other field. These
are what they should do to stop the emergence of epidemic in their
country.”
Present at the inauguration were: the
U.S. Embassy Country Director for Walter Reed Programme-Nigeria, Mr.
Robert Nelson and the US Consul General, Francis John Bray alongside
other Nigerian military personnel.
by Rebecca Ejifoma
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