Family Health International (FHI) Plans 20 VCT Centres for Nigeria
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Mr. Peter Lamptey, President, FHI Institutes for HIV/AIDS tours FHI-
supported VCT Centre at Salvation Army, Lagos Nigeria, reports GODWIN
KIHODU, AIDS UPDATE
May 12, 2003: AS part of its efforts to contribute to the reduction
of the transmission and impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the US-based
non-governmental organization, Family Health International (FHI), is
to establish about 20 HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counselling and Test (VCT)
Centres in Nigeria.
Mr. Peter Lamptey, President of the FHI Institutes for HIV/AIDS, who
is presently on a working visit to the country, dropped this hint in
Lagos on May 12, 2003 while inspecting an FHI-supported VCT centre
operated by the Salvation Army in the Central Business District on
Lagos Island, Nigeria. He said the organization's plan is to provide
the VCT centres to reduce the distances that people have to travel to
get VCT in order to make the service more easily accessible, and to
make the service faster. At present, FHI has two centres in Nigeria;
one in Lagos, the other in Kano, in Northern Nigeria.
Lamptey explained that FHI's plan to support so many VCT centres is
informed partly by the thinking that unless the distance a prospec-
tive user has to cover to get VCT service and the amount of time
spent at the facility are considerably shorter, many people will not
avail themselves of the service in spite of its being essential.
"When people are sick, they will be willing to wait for a long period
to get services, but when they only need services for preventive pur-
poses, they cannot wait; then the services have to be very fast. We
have realized this and we are trying to make the services as fast as
possible," he said.
The FHI president explained that the benefits derivable from VCT in-
clude HIV status awareness, which enables people to make adequate
plans in accordance with their status.
As the visitor explained, people who are aware of their being HIV
positive in time have the opportunity of planning how to manage the
situation by having the necessary medication to prevent the rapid de-
velopment of AIDS, the end stage of infection with HIV, and by so do-
ing increase their lifespan.
On the other hand, he added, it is reinforcement for those who find
they are not infected with the AIDS virus, and they can plan to re-
main free of the infection by being very careful not to engage in
high risk behaviours such as unprotected casual sex, sharing of inva-
sive instruments and use of unscreened blood.
"Unfortunately, most people who have HIV go to the hospital when they
are dying. That could be rather too late to save them. We can have
tuberculosis, which is one of the complications, treated early or
other opportunistic infections like pneumonia treated early as well,
which can prolong their lives, and then have antiretroviral�" he
said. According to Lamptey, VCT is one of the most important tools
available for the promotion of behaviour change and getting people
who are infected to know their status, plan their lives and be able
to access cares, particularly antiretroviral drugs, where they are
available.
He said this noble cause is, however, not an easy one, and advised
government and other donor agencies to consider joining the effort to
establish enough VCT facilities for the benefit of Nigerians. Mr.
Lamptey's visit is to enable him see and assess the impact of the FHI
programme in Nigeria - Implementing AIDS Care and Treatment (IMPACT)
- get briefings from the field staff and review progress made so far,
and then make recommendations for changes where necessary.
FHI, which has been in Nigeria since the 1980s went into HIV/AIDS
prevention and control in the early 1990s with AIDSCAP - the AIDS
Prevention and Control Project, which gave way to impact in 1998.
AIDS UPDATE published by Media Resource and Advocacy Centre, Develop-
ment Communications Network, Nigeria.
mailto:mracnigeria@yahoo.com
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