During the pre-conference meeting on the Global Fund's seventh replenishment, with the subject "Nigeria's call to fight what counts," held in Abuja on Thursday, stakeholders in the nation said this. They contend that the money is necessary to alter mortality and incidence trends in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 3 objective of eradicating AIDS, TB, and malaria epidemics by 2030. According to social media reports, on September 19, 2022, New York City will play home to the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference, which aims to raise $18 billion to save 20 million lives worldwide from the effects of HIV, TB, and malaria. Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria's Minister of Health, said during the meeting that his country supports the Global Fund's goal of raising at least $18 billion for the 2023–2025 funding cycle in order to save 20 million lives and cut the mortality rates from HIV, TB, and malaria by 65 percent. Ehanire said the fund will assist the world get back on track to address HIV, TB, and malaria, especially for the most impacted nations. He was represented by Minister of State for Health Joseph Ekumankama. "Nigeria continues to be dedicated to making its commitment to the Fund. The investment case indicates a $28.4 billion or 20% gap. The Nigerian government acknowledges the need for a gradual increase in domestic health finance, without which the investment case's ambition and the 2030 health targets would be a mirage. The National Health Insurance Authority Act, he claimed, was authorized by President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retired), and it offers several, ground-breaking methods for earning money for healthcare. "This Act establishes the regulatory foundation for achieving sustainable, domestic resource-based universal health coverage. Additionally, it will take care of the weak, ensuring that none is left behind.
We are dedicated to upholding our duties to the people by steadily making investments in their health, education, and general welfare. "I take advantage of this chance to ask all donor nations to pledge more money to the Global Fund through the 7th Replenishment Conference. The odds are against us. Although ambitious, $18 billion is the minimal amount needed to have a significant impact on the global fight against HIV, TB, and malaria. Dr. Gambo Aliyu, the director general of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, also spoke and noted that the Global Fund has invested more than $3.8 billion in Nigeria. "We are looking at meeting the aim for this replenishment in addition to what we have done for the last three years and we want to exceed the target," he said. The goal is to raise it from $14 billion to $18 billion globally. "Nigeria donated almost $12 million to the most recent replenishment, and this time we hope to see where we can go, whether we can duplicate that or expand further than what we have already done. "We want to ensure that we continue what we've started over the past three years. We reiterate the government's commitment to providing resources worth the investment made.
According to David Greene, charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in Nigeria, access to HIV treatment services in the nation has made an AIDS-Free generation a reality for Nigeria despite COVID-19, insecurity, and a deteriorating economic climate. "Our important collaborations with national and state governments, the Global Fund, and UNAIDS were instrumental in defining what systems and strategies were needed to gain ground and outpace HIV," said Greene. Additionally, data from Nigeria's HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey is used as the foundation of our programs to inform implementation choices and concentrate efforts in regions with the greatest unmet needs. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Global Fund, and the Government of Nigeria developed an alignment strategy focused on utilizing our comparative strengths and resources to provide patient-centered HIV services in communities in 2019. This alignment is another important aspect of this story. We launched a surge effort to intensify case-finding and quickly increase access to antiretroviral therapy by uniting technical and financial resources behind a single national initiative. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic was at its worst, during the spike there was a doubling of the number of HIV-positive people who were discovered and started on treatment. No other nation or HIV program in the world can lay claim to such an unmatched accomplishment.
Because they have access to life-saving care, more than 1.8 million HIV-positive Nigerians are thriving and leading active lives today. Our national alignment methodology is a best practice that other nations are embracing as well as learning from. "However, maintaining this accomplishment requires contributions to the Global Fund and our united efforts to stand up for what matters. Although we are getting near to the finish line, the race is still far from over because one in seven children born throughout the world in Nigeria have HIV.
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