Nigeria: Donor Cuts, Govt Inaction Push HIV Patients Towards Death, Uncertainty in Rivers, Akwa Ibom (2)
[Premium Times] In the second part of this three-part series, PREMIUM TIMES found that while governments approved budgets for HIV programmes, critical funds often failed to reach the health system.
In Nigeria's Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, HIV patients face growing uncertainties as donor support dwindles and government action remains inadequate. Despite approving budgets for HIV programmes, critical funds often fail to reach the health system. The community health workers who provided antiretroviral medicines, counselling, and confidential support have disappeared, leaving patients to face stigma and isolation.
Official budget documents reveal that governments consistently allocate funds for HIV response, but often fail to release the approved money. In Akwa Ibom, the State Agency for the Control of AIDS received capital allocations each year, but received no capital releases between 2023 and 2024. Similarly, in Rivers State, the government appropriated funds for HIV interventions, yet no releases were published in the budget implementation reports for 2023 and 2024.
Both states have not published the necessary documents for independent scrutiny of HIV spending, raising concerns about accountability and responsibility. As international donors scale back community HIV programmes, it remains unclear whether governments in these states are prepared to step in and take ownership of the response.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
