Rivers State will be the first in Nigeria to put into use customised HIV self-test equipment known as “Amethyst HIV 1&2 Test Kit”.
Making this revelation at the weekend during events marking the 2018 World AIDS Day (WAD) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said the kit had been customized to be easy for people to apply in order to ascertain their HIV status, especially pregnant women and their spouses.
The Governor who was represented by the state Commissioner for Health, Professor Princewill Chike, stated that the equipment was part of an integrated novel model applied by the State Government in the control of HIV and other related diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis.
While emphasizing the commitment of the State Government in the task of checking the trend of HIV in the State, the Governor also thanked other partners and stakeholders for their contributions.
“I am especially delighted by the efforts being made by the various agencies and stakeholders working assiduously towards the actualization of the target for the control of HIV/AIDS.
“Achieving an HIV/AIDS free generation is a task that this administration in Rivers State is very passionate about, and we will pursue the target relentlessly through collaborative and team work, and engagement of all sectors of the society”, the Governor said.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, the President of Bedford Biotech Incorporated, a New York based firm, Gboyega Adewumi, stated that the self test kit is “a message of hope for all”.
According to him, the kit would take care of issues of privacy, which has been a major barrier to health testing services, hitherto done publicly.
“One of the barriers is privacy. This is the reason most people do not volunteer to go for testing in public places.
By: Sogbeba Dokubo
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