ABUJA, Nigeria: To ensure that all HIV born babies are identified and treated, the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) has collaborated with HealthQual International and other HIV Implementing partners to launch a treatment initiative to be implemented in three states of Nigeria.
At a two-day training to start the initiative in Abuja, healthcare workers from Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Nasarawa and Lagos states were equipped with relevant skills to mentor other staff in their facilities. Participants also discussed possible challenges to the initiative and how to tackle them.
IHVN Senior Program Officer, Health Systems Strengthening, Rita Okonkwo said “the whole aim of the collaboration is to improve Pediatric HIV case identification and prompt initiation of therapy for pediatric patients. With this training, we aim to strengthen capacity of participants to implement quality improvement initiatives at their facilities.”
Director, HealthQual International, Dr. Bruce Agins stated that the initiative, which is the first of its kind in the country, is a challenge to do more for children. “This is not a pilot but a methodology as part of the plan that the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) came up with to help achieve the 90-90-90 campaign strategy” he said.
A Participant, Dr. Yosola Adetunji said “we have really learnt a lot of new ideas to implement for better results in pediatric care at the facilities. We cannot expect to see changes if we keep doing the same thing so we will go back and implement all the wonderful new ideas and guidelines we have been taught to achieve the aim of this collaborative.”
This collaboration brings together teams from health facilities to test and implement this pediatric intervention which is supported by HealthQual international with funding from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).HealthQual International is partnering with Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to support CDC Implementing Partners to identify and treat 100% of HIV infected children. Other key partners of this collaborative include, Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN).
The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) was established in 2004 as a local organization to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in Nigeria through the development of infrastructure for treatment, care, prevention, and support for people living with and those affected with HIV/AIDS but has now expanded its services to other infectious diseases of TB and malaria including cancers. IHVN is structured to develop and maintain linkages with local and international organizations in collaborative ways that support the Government of Nigeria’s health sector strategic plans.
